Forced But Not Unwilling
by obsidians
Summary: Sephiroth needs a bride in order to inherit and Tifa is caught in her own dire circumstances and they find a need for each other. This is a Tifa/Sephiroth pairing with chapters to be released once a week on Wednesdays, just in time for hump day, as seems appropriate. Definitely M for Mature. Co-written with Sakurablossomhime. Happy Dead Turkey Day coming up America.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own FF7 or its characters and make no profit from writing these stories.

It was a beautiful wedding where no expense had been spared, the champagne literally flowed from a fountain and the most expensive chef had been engaged to create a special menu for the occasion and the beautiful bride and handsome groom looked as if they were modeling wedding clothes rather than being the real deal.

She wore a full white lace mantilla veil that flowed over her unbound chocolate brown hair, paired with a white lace, form fitting wedding gown that was strapless and had a sheer lace back. White medium height peep toe high heels adorned her tiny feet, the dark red of her pedicure peeking out. The contrast between her red rose bouquet against the virgin white decorum made her look positively endearing.

The groom wore a classic black tuxedo with white shirt and black bowtie. He looked absolutely regal as it offset his extreme paleness, fall of silver hair, and green slit-pupil eyes.

Visually, they looked stunning together though complete opposites with his fair pigmentation against her darker one. All they shared common ground on… was they both had unusual colored eyes. Yes, they were both beautiful and went through the ceremony that legally made them a couple in the eyes of the law and public, yet neither looked elated. They said all the correct ceremonial vows when prompted and agreeing to be with each other in sickness and health and death being the only parting. They placed the exuberant and costly rings on each of their wedding fingers but neither glowed as a genuine couple should on their special day. Instead they stood side by side, stiffly going through the motions and looked as if they were going to their executions.

They both looked beyond contrite when prompted to kiss and did little more than a rushed peck on the lips to make it legal.

She threw the bouquet… as directed, not at all into the joy of it.

He fumbled beneath her gown searching for her garter until she impatiently took it from her own thigh, pressing it into his hand to throw to the prospective future bridegrooms, all the while wearing a look of resignation that this… man was now her husband, and it surprisingly hurt.

They were stoic throughout the dinner, abnormal for her, not so much for him. Each scrumptious course was heavily praised by their guests, but tasted like ashes in their mouths. Their first dance was anything but intimate. They danced as far as possible from each other until they were announced as Husband and Wife and they immediately scattered from each other.

While people got progressively drunk at the open bar and Danielson packed the dance floor to tunes spun by the most sought after DJ in town, they just watched as they sat side by side with neither touching each other. Sometimes Tifa would venture to talk to her new husband, his answers were given politely but clipped short as if impatient for things to come to an end and not for the usual reason a new groom wishes them to.

Being alone with her was something that he was dreading. In fact, in view of what was expected of him he resented it. Of all the people that could have been chosen, why did it have to be someone who hated him so much; that he wronged so much?

He would be lucky if she didn't slit his throat in the night which as his spouse she would have ample opportunity to. He had hoped at least to have someone in this role who he might be able to develop at least a friendship with, but the Goddess wouldn't have that, not with his luck. She had to provide him with someone who hated him from the first. Sometimes he felt like he was the unluckiest man on the planet and this made him depressed and he found it ironic that he was depressed at his own wedding and thought about the folly that brought them both to this point and how he was seated beside one of the most beautiful women he had ever met, who was legally his spouse and he felt lonelier than he ever had in his life. He hadn't cried save for one occasion since he was five years old, yet as a 34 year old, he'd never wanted to so badly in his life as of right now.

How had it come to this?

Tifa sat beside Sephiroth and wondered why it had to be him, him of all people, the last person she had expected it to be that she had had to marry. It was too late, they were legally wed and she wore his ring and had taken his last name as per what the contract insisted and soon they would go to his bed and...she couldn't even think that far ahead.

Yes he was just as attractive as she had found him to be as a fifteen year old girl who had insisted on going with him, Zachary Fair, and the now known grunts Cloud Strife and Kunsel, acting as their guide through Nibel Mountains, where all normality ended.

She had been instantly smitten with the silver haired General until her world ended that day when he went insane. Her father's death, Nibelheim burning to the ground, even that lovely scar he'd given her while being controlled by that cosmic bitch… and now he was her husband as she had been duped into not knowing it was him. Tifa's hands tightened into fist over and over again as angry tears burned at the back of her eyeballs. She glanced once at him in reserved but nonetheless seething anger fueled by hurt and just as quickly it was washed away taking in his full visage. Tifa felt her face heating and turned away from him.

Sephiroth caught her glance at him and turned his head to gaze back at her and she blushed and averted her gaze, not noticing his answering blush. Not realizing there was a virgin at the sweetheart table they were both seated at, prominently placed and on a dais...and it wasn't her.

Sephiroth knew the steps on how to prepare a woman and how coitus was achieved and had blushingly watched the recommended porn videos which he was assured were very tasteful but not to his minds eyes. It was gauche and undignified no matter how well filmed to him. He tried to get excited about the idea of having his first woman but again: why her?

Sephiroth had to sleep with her at least the once in order to make their marriage valid. Sleep: that was such a quaint way of putting. Dress is up and call it making love. Dress it down and call it fucking. Call it what you will, he had to do it with Tifa. How ironic and whimsical that his first time would be on his wedding night as if he had planned it.

He was about to do something he never dreamed of actually going through with. He had certainly never had the urge to have coitus before and now he was going to have to. So much depended on it. He had been outraged as it was learned that he wasn't even a citizen of his own planet because his birth had never been recorded on any data bases. He didn't legally exist, well one phone call to a very crafty and expensive lawyer, later turned friend, one Dexter Andrews, Esq. had taken care of that.

But while he had dug into his affairs, it had been discovered that he was the last heir to his late mother's estate that included a title and vast wealth. This was something that the friendless, homeless, and almost penniless man needed, his bank account long having been frozen during his trips in and out of the Lifestream. He needed it simply to survive, even if he was to be lonely forever on a Planet that would never forgive and certainly not forget.

He had been relieved when Dexter had opened his home to him until they got it all sorted and had found in the older man an unexpected ally. It was him who learned of the condition his own mother had placed in her will and had found the remedy for it and now beside him sat the woman that made it all possible.

"I would like to thank you" he ventured.

"Save it" Tifa snapped as she watched her friends leave when it was revealed who her mystery groom was and she had gone ahead with the marriage, until only Yuffie, who knew the whole truth why she had gone through with it and Vincent, who was the loyalist friend she had ever met and surprisingly enough, Tseng, remained. She had known how bad things were when Cid had yelled "what the fuck!" when her trip down the aisle on Dexter's arm had revealed her intended groom to be Sephiroth. She had stopped not wanting to continue and Sephiroth, to his credit seemed equally as nervous but Tifa then realized that she could not turn back, the damage was done and proceeded forward and allowed the priest to bind her to her mortal enemy.

Sephiroth turned away, feeling a little hurt but not surprised. What had he expected? She clearly didn't want to be at this glittering display of falsehood, forcing smiles anymore then he did. He didn't understand why they had to have this huge display, a simple ceremony in a courthouse would have had the same effect and would have been a lot less embarrassing.

Yuffie felt sorry for a hurt looking Tifa as their friend filed discreetly out after shooting her looks of disappointment, not knowing the reason why she agreed to marry Sephiroth after discovering him as her groom. The details were too personal to impart to them so instead of trusting that Tifa had a reason, dark and deep, they were turning their backs on her.

She almost felt sorry for Sephiroth at how uncomfortable he looked as well as everyone seemed to be enjoying the wedding but them. She had been the single bridesmaid/maid of honor while Sephiroth had only his lawyer as groomsman, who also walked Tifa down the aisle. Soon all of Tifa's friends had departed but Tseng, Vincent and herself, leaving them with a bunch of people who barely even seem to know either the bride or groom. All of them seemed to care more about the free flowing booze and the cute catering girls circulating with trays of finger foods.

"Tseng" she half whispered when he walked by.

" _Hai_ _Hime_ " Tseng greeted in Wutaian, saying 'yes, princess' , knowing her the few times he acted as her bodyguard in Wutai at Rufus's behest that she have someone he could trust with her.

"You know I hate being called that" she said with a frown.

"Who are you guarding tonight?" she asked out of curiosity.

"I'm a guest like yourself. Rufus has pretty much filled this wedding with anyone who ever had so much a nodding acquaintanceship with Sephiroth. I'm here mainly because of Tifa of course" he explained.

"I was wondering if there was some way to speed things up? They don't look like they are having fun" Yuffie indicated to the ill at ease looking couple.

"Leave that up to me" he said and went up and whispered to the DJ and then accepted the mike from him.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the groom and his wife thank you for coming. They are anxious to start the new chapter of their lives. Please have a safe drive home" he said in a friendly tone, sounding quite unlike the emotionless man he normally was.

He couldn't resist a smirk in Sephiroth's direction when he caught him flinching ever so slightly.

"We have a tradition in Wutaian that we escort the newlyweds to their nuptial chamber. Sephiroth if you will pick up your bride, we will proceed" he suggested to the man.

Tifa stood up with the courage of a person determined to take their dignity to their execution, her face flamed when Sephiroth flung her over his shoulder to everyone's laughter. "Not like this you silly ass" she hissed.

He set her down "how then?" he hissed back at her.

"Like how you carry a _bride_ Captain Romance" she said hotly. "One arm around my back and the other under my knees."

"Oh very well, I don't understand why you can't just _walk_ there" he groused softly as he swept her up in his arms.

The DJ grinned and chose a song and Tifa turned beet red when George Michaels 'I want your sex" came on.

"Let's go" she ordered him as if he were a horse and he complied while blushing as well as the entire wedding danced and sang them to the master bedroom of the mansion they where would be spending the night. He closed the door behind them with what sounded like an ominous clang of a jail cell slamming shut to everyone's drunken cheers.

"Could you put me down?" she requested, feeling ill at ease.

"Of course" he said setting her on her feet and couldn't look at her.

"Do you need to use the washroom first?" he offered.

"Yes, thank you" she said, keeping her head down as she nervously played with skirt of her dress.

"You intend to use birth control?" he asked her with his face flaming at having to ask such personal question of a relative stranger.

"Yes, I'm wearing diaphragm prescribed by my doctor. I was told how your condition doesn't allow for condoms" she said.

"Condition?" he asked her.

"That you're allergic to all types because of your skin" she explained.

"Yeah, if you want to..." he suggested, pointing to the ensuite washroom.

"I won't be long" she said and he looked questioningly at the cry of frustration coming from the washroom.

"Are you okay?" he asked, knocking politely on it and it flew open.

"I would have to be a monkey to get all these tiny buttons open" she said, showing him the back of her dress.

"Do you mind if I help you?" he asked her, his long fingers hovering close to them.

"Please" she said as she pulled her hair out of the way.

His nimble fingers easily parted each satin covered nuisance until the back gaped open to reveal her pearly skin and Sephiroth found the moment uncomfortably, erotic. He felt the urge to place his hand and stroke it along the velvety looking surface, which made him feel dirty for having that urge. He had seen her wearing far less, she didn't wear much normally, but somehow just this portion of her revealed against her conservative dress, was salacious. "I'll leave you to ready yourself for...bed" he lamely said.

"I won't be long" she said, glancing at him, her face almost matching her eyes.

"Let me know when you're done" he said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I'll get ready while I wait."

"Let me know when you're ready" she said, closing the door.

He scrambled to get out of his tuxedo right in the walk in closet and pulled on the grey kimono Dexter had given him and advised him to use. He explained he would only have to take it off to get into bed with her, do the deed and put it back on; it would make him feel less vulnerable. He belted the waist and felt like an idiot wearing the silken thing and wondered how it was supposed make him feel less vulnerable, obviously under its voluminous folds, he was naked beneath. He was going to have to take it off and breach another person's body for the first time in his life and doubted this was her idea of heaven either. She was obviously just as nervous as him.

"I'm coming out" she said and he went apple red when she stepped into room wearing a diaphanous peignoir set that might as well have been invisible.

"Why are you dressed like that?" he asked her.

"It was in the contract" she said with a frown.

Sephiroth's eyes went wide and wondered what _else_ was in the contract that he had missed in his distraction. "Would you like to sit down?" he said, taking a seat on the bed. She did almost a foot away from him and nervously removed her robe.

"If you would rather wait another night, I'll understand. I've heard it hurts women to lose their virginity" he offered, trying not to stare at her almost complete nudity.

"I'm twenty eight" she said looking at him like he was incredibly naive.

He looked away, six years younger than him.

"I was just trying to suggest" he said.

"I would rather get this over with" she firmly, yet bravely said.

Sephiroth suddenly found the carpeted floor of his family mansion fascinating, he could actually feel the unfamiliar prick of tears: that she would refer to what she didn't know was his first time, as something to be gotten over, like it didn't matter. Why was he acting like such a child? If teenagers could have causal intercourse, so could he. It would only have to happen the once and then they would find out some way to get along until they served out their sentences. It's not like anything would be born from this night; she had seen to that.

"How do you want to start?" he asked her.

"What are your favorite positions?" she asked him.

"The usual ones, I'm not picky" he lied as his face flamed.

"Why did you agree to this?" he asked her again.

"I would rather not discuss them tonight, suffice it to say, it was dire circumstances that brought me here and I'm a woman of my word. I will be a wife and companion to you in every way, including this way. I will run your household and take care of you" she said with resolve in her voice.

"I was given to understand one time is all that is required to make it legal" he said with a frown at her impassionate speech.

"I guess we should start by kissing" she suggested and both groaned when their first attempt bashed his nose against her forehead. Their next attempt had them struggling to find out where their noses would go. Until she caught his face in her hands, forcing him to become still and firmly pressed her silken lips against his and showed him through her own motions how to kiss until he caught on. Soon it was like he was excelling at how her hands fisted into the loose material of his robe while his own arms were tightly around her.

Sephiroth's mind was a whirl of confusion as heat suffused his body for the first time and he was rock hard from only a kiss, suddenly he was very willing to consummate his marriage and was borderlining on impatient, yet he didn't know how to proceed, so kept kissing her, waiting for some kind of sign from Tifa, while she was waiting for him.

Tifa needed a release after so many years of abstinence, if only to stop her dwelling on the misfortunates that brought her to this point. She didn't really care for him, but could not deny how attractive he was and intended to use him as a means to end her frustration if only briefly.

Sephiroth's eyes went wide with shock as her hand unfastened the tightly belted sash at his waist and her hands parted it.

"What are you..." He said as he blushed a painful red color in confusion as she started kissing her way hurriedly down his body and then swallowed hard when she reached his groin.

Tifa could only stare for a few seconds, taking the sheer size of Sephiroth's massively swollen erection, from the sheer girth of the shaft from the severely flared head, he looked impossibly big.

She had only ever had one man and although she had been certain he was well endowed, Cloud looked puny in comparison. However, her need to for release and that she was a woman of her word caused her to preserve. Shrugging her mental shoulders, she engulfed as much of him in her mouth as possible and suckled on him for all she was worth while her one hand stroked the neglected part of his shaft she couldn't reach and her other hand tickled his pale testicular sac.

Sephiroth head lulled at the strangely pleasurable sensation as he received his first blow job ever. His eyes slammed shut and his face flushed hotly at how unspeakably good it felt. He let out a half whimper before covering his mouth to stifle any further emittances, he wanted to be repulsed that anyone would want suck him there, but instead his other hand held on weakly to the back of Tifa's head as it bobbed in his lap. It felt so decadent that it was all he could do not to feed her his essence, it was taking every ounce of his will power not to. He didn't resist as the hands on his shoulders forced him back until he lay prone on the bed with the material of his kimono spread beneath him, his arms still in the sleeves.

Tifa looked up to see what effect she was having on Sephiroth and frowned to see that he was stifling his cries and then leaned up and grabbed the hem of her nightie and pulled it over her head and tossed it from her. "I want to hear you" she said as she gently drew his hand away and was slightly surprised as that his visage showed a mixture of lust and nervousness.

Sephiroth tried to say something but his mouth had gone dry at the beautiful body hovering above him, her breasts were a thing of beauty, large, pendulous, yet completely firm with long hot pink nipples that he longed suck on. He could only stare up at her like a dumbstruck mooncalf, he put up no resistance when she leaned forward to capture his lips again and he could feel the sweet weight of her globes against his chest. He gasped against her lips as her hand wrapped around his swollen organ and he wondered for a second a the feeling of dampness at the tip of his penis and then threw back his head into the cradling pillow as with one lunge, he was fully impaled to the root inside Tifa's taut body. He could only lie there in shock in response to Tifa's strangled scream at being stretched full to bursting, she trembled upon him, she was so impossibly stuffed and her body struggled to accommodate his thick bulk.

Meanwhile, Sephiroth was beside himself, he was _no longer a virgin_. He has breached another person's body, wait his _wife's_ body and didn't know which weirded him out more, that he had or that he had a wife. Certainly nothing in his life had prepared him for this either physically or emotionally as neither had been expected of him at how he had been intended only as a weapon. However as he trembled beneath her from where they were connected as she trembled herself, he could only marvel at how hot her core temperature was and how her walls clung to him, it was like his penis was surrounded by clinging hot silk. He was the first one to move as he experimentally nudged himself upwards and gasped when that deepened the angle.

Tifa gasped back and her hands splayed open on his chest and she began to slowly ride him and he forced himself to remain still. Her breasts bounced gently with the agonizingly slow rise and fall of her hips, as she rode him and he reached for them and cupped them, toying with the nubs of her nipples and this caused her to moan.

His body tightened in need, the urge to take over, almost unbearable, but he forced himself to watch her climb and only his self discipline kept his own harsh cries at bay, however that melted away when she increased her pace until her hips were a blur. Their shared cries were so carnal as they filled the room.

Little beads of perspiration formed on her silky soft skin. Her lips parted and breath came out in pants as she galloped towards her crest, that seemed so impossibly huge she doubted she would survive it. She found out why some women preferred well hung men as his organ found and activated and ignited every nerve ending in her, every pleasure center, filling her up impossibly so she was drunk on pleasure and shrieked at the ceiling when the would-be world destroyer made it shattered apart for her.

She was barely sensible when he flipped them without disengaging them, took ahold of the ornate wrought iron headboard and started hammering into her still orgasming body, spiking it for her, drawing it out while the silken material of his kimono was half twisted on his body and his hair draped them like a silken tent.

Tifa shrieked and caught ahold of his flexing biceps, needing to hold onto something while his body heaved over top of hers, connected to her only at their groins as each hard thrust caused her to sob out in ecstasy and her body to flop beneath his as he sought his own release. She just managed to recover from her first one when his almost brutal thrusts sent her over the edge again and she shrieked out his name this time and the wild pulsations of her passage sent him over the edge. His eyes rolled back in his head and his toes curled as his first bodily orgasm burst heavily from him. He wailed in release and only his hands on the groaning headboard kept him upright, his eyes flew open and he looked wildly down at his new lover.

Tifa opened her own sex clouded eyes to find Sephiroth gazing wildly down at her and she almost flinched at the raw emotions she saw there, she had never seen him so emotionally vulnerable. It was like he realized that he was revealing too much of himself to her and tugged himself from her body, she blushed when his white essence leaked from her. He wrapped the kimono back around himself and went to the washroom and brought back a warm cloth to hand to her.

"You can get cleaned up and then you can go to your room, it is through that door there. We have adjoining rooms in the old fashioned way that royalty did back in the day. It does lock. I had the maid unpack for you already" he assured her.

"You don't expect me to sleep with you?" She asked him.

"I wouldn't presume to ask anything of you" he said not even able to look at her, feeling so strange, as if his heart hurt.

"What I said stands" she said, wondering why he was acting so strange. It had been a long time for her, had she been that crummy in bed?

"We can discuss this at a later time. It is late and I find myself tired, I am not used to sleeping beside someone and could accidently hurt you in your sleep if you touch me. It is best I sleep alone for the time being until I get used to other sleeping arrangements. I rather doubt you would willingly have taken me to your bed in any other circumstances" he said with a trace of bitterness in his voice.

"I know more about what happened to you than back then, we all do now and are trying to accept that you're no longer..." Tifa said as she got into her skimpy nightie and robe and frowned on how to phrase it and went to touch the shoulder of his averted back, concerned by his behavior.

"Kindly don't touch me" he said shrugging her hand off. When he turned to her, his face was neutral as ever and his body language gave nothing away.

"Go to bed Tifa" he said and went and opened the door for her.

"Good night Sephiroth" she stiffly said, wondering how cold he was acting after they had sex.

"Tell me, was I just another notch in your belt?" He suddenly asked her.

"What?" her response in surprise, not sure if she had heard him correctly as it had been asked in such a low voice.

"Forgive me for acting foolish, it is getting late and I must be tired. Good night Tifa" he said bowing slightly to her, not able to offer her a single touch at how emotional he felt, it felt like he was about to break apart and would rather kill her than let her see him do that.

He closed the door behind her and leaned against it, feeling like his legs were made of rubber. He gasped as he collapsed on the floor and bit on his fist as tears streamed from his eyes and was forced into the second crying jag he had ever had as an adult and wondered why. The only other time he cried like this was when his friends deserted their commands and he was ordered to hunt them down and kill them. He had had a similar breakdown on his bed in the privacy of his apartment on the night he received those orders.

Surely coitus didn't make everyone feel like this? His virginity had been neither precious to him nor a burden. Sex hadn't been something he had ever sought or craved, his aversion to touch had seen to that. He vowed he would never do this again if he would have this extreme reaction, perhaps his body wasn't meant for this? He reasoned as he cried himself to sleep while still wrapped in the kimono, the treacherous scent of their coupling still detectable to his sensitive sense of smell, this just made him cry harder before succumbing to slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

You Want me to Do What?

"Here is your birth certificate, you are now officially a citizen" Dexter Andrews, Esq. said as he handed the document triumphantly to his client. He was a tall man in his fifties who was obviously in good shape with a trim waist and broad shoulders, who wore a grey power suit, had a jaw that could have been formed of granite, and salt and pepper hair but had a wide, friendly smile.

"I couldn't have done it without your help. As soon as I get a proper job and my accounts unfrozen, I shall pay back everything I owe you" Sephiroth said sounding more grateful then he normally would. "And move out of your house" he assured him.

"I shall miss you when you do" he said in all honesty, enjoying his company. "We'll get those accounts unfrozen soon and then I think we should sue Shinra for damages."

"I have no quarrel with the present President of the company, I am trying to project a more benevolent image these days after all" Sephiroth said with a sigh.

"There is another avenue of receiving funds that we could pursue, it seems your mother came from a wealthy family and she was the sole heir to your family fortune, as her son, you are entitled to her family seat and fortune. You interested? It comes with a title" Dexter enthused.

"I know nothing of my human mother other than she was a scientist and my initial downfall. I do not know much more about her nor her family. I really don't feel comfortable claiming something that does not rightly belong to me" Sephiroth said.

"Yet you have a birth certificate proclaiming her to be your mother and a simple DNA test can prove this. Then there is a matter of her will, leaving everything to you" Dexter smugly said.

"She did? But I assumed that by how passive she was about my upbringing that..." Sephiroth said as his words fizzled out.

"People are not always what they seem; you of all people should know that. You probably regard her as being a monster and Hojo too, like you said. He most likely was and I'm sure he met a horrible end. Perhaps this is her way of trying to atone for what she allowed to happen? We have a meeting with her family lawyer to read her will tomorrow" Dexter explained.

"But I'm not really even completely human" he objected.

"Surprise, surprise my boy! Your makeup is truly amazing. For how unique you look, for all your strength and inner power, you are 60% human, 20% Mako, 10% Cetra and 10% alien DNA. That being said: Being human is a matter of mind and heart. You're human enough to have had her claim you as her son and human enough to clog the shower drain with all that pretty hair of yours. You owe me a fortune in draino" Dexter teased him.

"You think I should really do this?" Sephiroth asked him.

"What better way to blend into society than as a rich Duke living in a mansion? She wanted you to have it" Dexter said.

"I'm sorry could you please repeat the final clause again?" Sephiroth said to the elderly Lawyer, Mr. Ross.

"In order to inherit, my son Sephiroth Crescent must legally marry, if he is not already and remain so for a period of five years and his marriage must be valid in every way. If he fails to do so, the bearer of this will has been ordered to find the stupidest charity he can, be it a shelter for constipated cats, and donate the money, mansion and lands to them" Mr. Ross read out loud.

Sephiroth was struck by the fact that it seemed his mother had had the same dry sense of humour as himself and he would have actually found it laughable under difference circumstances, but instead pushed back his chair. "Thank you for your time, good luck with your search" he said to the man.

"Wait Sephiroth, this is not as bad as you think" Dexter said when he raced after him.

"Not as bad? I don't even know any females as acquaintances, save one and she's spoken for and am expected to marry one" he said incredulously.

"It didn't say it had to be a _female_ " Dexter objected.

"I'm not gay" he said with a long suffering sigh.

"Look all we need to do is find you a pretty, believable wife who could put up with you for five years" Dexter said. "What sort of girls do you like to date?" he asked him.

"There never has been anyone" he said in a small voice.

"Wait you mean to tell me that you've never...?" Dexter asked him.

"Yes" he said.

"Wow, I assumed… wow" Dexter said, raising his thick eyebrows in surprise.

"Does that make me abnormal?" he asked him, he could feel his face heating up.

"No, everyone has to start sometime, yours will be a very special case I guess. This is still doable, all we need to do is find you a wife" Dexter said.

"Yes with my reputation, they will be lining up" he said bitterly.

"Sephiroth, you look like you should be on a cover of a romance novel. Your looks alone could easily get you any girl you wanted. Okay, you need time to let someone get to know you, but you're certainly a great guy once you open up. In the meantime, there is " Dexter explained.

"What's that?" Sephiroth said.

"A bridal site where you pay women to marry you. You tell them what you are looking for when you register and tell them what amount you're offering and they contact the girls registered by them and they have interviews until everyone is happy" Dexter explained.

"Why would anyone want a wife they have to pay for?" Sephiroth asked in confusion.

"Some men have to marry for inheritance like yourself, some have to marry for promotions at work or because of titles and some unfortunate souls are deformed to the point no normal woman would marry them, the length term and price of the contract are set between them. Offer a high price and we will get someone right away. We just have to decide what you like in a woman" he said, dangling the bait before him.

"I don't know, I admire intelligence above all else. Physically, I guess I like athletic brunettes" he said thinking of how he had been attracted to Aerith. "I like a good sense of humour, someone who appreciates books and I guess is a homebody like me" Sephiroth added.

"You want her to have her own friends or you will have to keep her entertained" Dexter pointed out.

"That for sure. There is one last thing I like but it's kind of embarrassing" Sephiroth said with a blush.

"Whisper it to me" Dexter said.

"Who doesn't like that?" he said to the blushing man. "Come on, it's almost time for Dynasty. We'll find you a bride within a week" he said clapping him on the shoulder after calling his secretary to contact the agency to put up a large sum of money to tempt the brides on there, along with a list of the finicky man's demands.

In Hot Water

Tifa gulped at what Don Corneo said.

"But it can't be true" she said.

"Cloud used your bar as collateral for his loan and you signed off on it and any possession you own, including yourself. I refer to the fine print right here" he said.

"In the event that the person is in default of the loan, all parties involved in the transaction must work for the loan holder as they deem fit until the full amount is paid" she read, squinting at the tiny font.

"But how is this legal? You can't legally own another person" Tifa said.

"I pay enough bribes to make it legal. You can come quietly or someone will come and get you one night. Either way are you going to work for me as a prostitute, so many men already want the lovely Tifa Lockhart who dresses the part anyway and ensues all comers while exhibiting her natural bounty for all to see. You have a week to decide" he said, rubbing his hand together greedily. "I would get to test you myself first a time or two before handing you over to your clients."

"Please just take the bar" she pleaded.

"Sorry I don't need this dive, but I do need that body" he said. "So unless you can repay the full amount of the loan in a week's time, that ass is mine" he said.

Tifa could only numbly watch him leave and then frantically tried to call Cloud and left him a semi hysterical message that he needed to call her right _now_. She checked her account balance to find out what it wasn't even close to what was owed, it would barely cover interest payments.

Frantically she arranged a meeting with a loan officer to see about remortgaging her bar. She met with him, wearing her nicest power suit, he was sympathetic but couldn't do anything for her. "I'm sorry my dear but you're already mortgaged to the hilt, but I do have a suggestion for you. My wife works for this site, they specialize in finding brides for men like me that don't mind paying to have a quality lady in his life" he whispered to her in confidence as he handed her the card.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked him, studying the card that had written on it.

"Nothing a surgeon couldn't fix, but I'm attached to it" he explained as his monkey tail hove into view. "I'm not purely human and never met a human woman who didn't run screaming from me. So I paid the price, met their web designer of all people, who is now the love of my life. I understand that an anonymous groom is prospecting and the amount he's offering is staggering. He must be a real freak" he said to her in confidence. "Contact this number if you're interested. The funds are released as soon as the contract is signed, you could meet the love of your life, you never know, either way you'll rid yourself of the deadbeat that got you into this mess" the kindly middle aged man said and went about his business with his tail swishing happily that he might have been able to help the nice young lady.

Tifa went back to the bar, grabbing her best whiskey in passing and drank to her hearts content in her room. At least now as she looked through thus website that made her feel like a whore, she could say her decision making was hampered due to heavy drinking. She thought about Don Corneo's grubby hands anywhere near her body and she gagged. She read several offers, but her mind always kept coming back to the highest bidder. It wasn't even about the money, the ad seemed written with her in mind. Like the loan officer said, the man could be a freak but the more she drank and more walls came down, the more she was convinced that this ad was speaking to her heart. She knew was drunk but honestly, what did she have to lose? So she registered on the site and with a simple click to accept the proposal, the wheels of fate on a stomach full of aged whiskey were set in motion.

You're The One

Dexter was bored with meeting every desperate blue stocking on the planet that seemed _not_ to be able to read or had their own interpretations of: Groom seeks attractive, fit brunette Bride, age 20 to 35, must be intelligent, have an appreciation for literature and have a natural generous bosom given by the Goddess her.

The latest one sat before him, yes she was attractive, young and brunette indeed. Dexter was being really picky about who his friend was going to be spending the next five years of his life with.

"I have two degrees" she warbled on, all pretty dimples and shining dark hair .

"That is impressive" Dexter said as he stole a peek at her chest. 'A double AA, perhaps a B cup?' he guessed. 'Didn't these women know how to read?' He thought sourly. Sephiroth had requested a healthy set of natural jugs and Dexter was going to get him the best ones he could find. He wanted him to lose his virginity to a woman as beautiful as she was kind. Sephiroth after all that had been taken from him, was going to have the wedding night of the century; Dexter was determined about this.

"Thank you, I've heard enough, I'll be in contact if you are selected" he said escorting her out and then poured himself a scotch. "Nancy, is there anymore desperate women scheduled for today?" He asked his receptionist when he called her.

"Just one more, she just arrived' she said.

"Is she over fifty, corpulent, flat chested, surgically enhanced or sporting socks in her bra?" He asked her facetiously.

"She seems to be none of those" Nancy replied.

"Send her in" Dexter said in a resigned tone of voice. He turned to a fresh sheet of paper to make notes. "Please have a seat" he said to the girl without glancing up. "So how many degrees do you have?" He asked her.

"I never even finished high school" Tifa said in all honesty, "but I've been told I'm very intelligent, I own a bar" she explained and Dexter looked up and was struck by the beauty of the girl, it was like she had been conjured for Sephiroth alone. She looked like a well endowed angel with a melodious voice and a kindness shone in her eyes.

Dexter shut his note pad. "You're perfect. You will have to sign the contract and your marriage will take place after one month's dating period to allow you to get to know each other" Dexter proclaimed.

"Don't you have more questions for me?" Tifa asked him with an adorable frown on her face.

"No" Dexter emphatically said. "I'll draw up the contract and you will meet your groom" he said.

"Can I know his name?" She asked him.

"Let's just call him Mr. Crescent for now" Dexter said to her. "He's allergic to any type of condoms, but alternative birth control can be used by you of course" he lied, wanting his friend to get the full sensation of sex his first time.

"And the money?" Tifa said, feeling like a greedy bitch for asking about it, but needed it desperately to pay off Don Corneo. The was more than enough to pay back the loan and then she and Cloud wouldn't have to worry. Only Cloud would once she got her hands on him. He still hadn't called her back and that hurt.

"The contract will be ready in a day or two and once you both read it and sign it, it will be wired into your account" he said, not liking her tone.

"I'm sorry to ask, it's just that I really need it" she said in all honesty.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" He asked her.

"I'll be okay" she assured him, not wanting to burden the kindly seeming man with her troubles. "Just tell Mr. Crescent I look forward to meeting him" she said and left.

Dexter looked after her with a slight mixture of concern and elation and picked up the phone "Sephiroth, we found you the perfect girl, her name is Tifa Lockhart and she's a doll" he enthused and wondered why there was only silence on the other end of the phone as Sephiroth sat there in shock at the name.

After that one innocent request from Tifa, everything else was a blur of the contract and fine print. Tifa felt nauseous and that she'd sold her soul to the devil cum perfect stranger.

What she had done was so much worse. No wonder the amount was ungodly in the proposal. No she'd never be made to suffer a broken, hideous form of a man or even some secret evil unknown. No, she knew _exactly_ who sat before her and felt very real pain of the heart and lightheaded. She would just have to live with all that pain, terror, and battle worn ways embodied in the very one that made her that way.

Sephiroth _Crescent._

She knew that last name was familiar but it never clicked, fleeing light like so many bats in a darken cave.

She had agreed to preliminary dating (literally a month, and then there would be wedding arrangements) and marriage-to her mortal enemy once long ago. She knew more about Sephiroth now than before. They were aware that his history was actually very sad and very hard because for all the mental anguish he put Cloud Strife through directly with their connection, when the man had came back yet again after that "final battle", he wasn't even cognizant of stepping into Nibelheim.

He, himself from the time he came to her humble town, had been being used to get to Jenova and the fallout had been bloody and extraordinary in a way the world would never fully forgive and forget. Unfortunately, he was as much as a victim as any of them and it seemed a cop out in the end to Tifa. Her dad's death was so quickly forgotten about when one saw and lifted the infamous Masamune from their parent's body and they charged with it, only for it to be plucked from your hands and you struck down like a rag doll.

Tifa did shed tears but she was a woman of her word. Though he was more or less benign now, she fully had the " keep your friends close and enemies closer" approach. Cloud Strife was definitely on her shit list now for putting her in this predicament.

If at any moment Tifa would have looked upon Sephiroth's face, she would have saw the exposed emotions just lying on the surface.

It was just absolutely absurd! Truly was Gaia so petty to play this horrible of trick on him? Here sat Cloud Strife's own female across from him, actually listening to the contract's legalities being read aloud by Dexter as if she meant to go through with them, no less with him!

Sephiroth wore sheer confusion in his face and was weary. Why would she do this? He knew there was no love lost between them though from the few fragments of his memory before… the tragedy. He could admit that she was so beautiful, her long dark hair and wine-colored irises beyond compare, and in having to have fight him, once for her father's honor and again later at the peak of his mental breakdown and insanity, she was strong of heart and of mind. He knew he'd regret it as he smelled the saline of her natural tears, but he needed to know why him given their history?

"Why are you forcing yourself to do this? It's not as if you've forgotten about everything that's happened. Where I have holes at best in my memory, you lived it" he asked outright softly, lowly with his tempered deep voice, interrupting Dexter's reading of the contract. He allowed it as he watched the exchange between them like two battle hardened veterans, not future husband and wife material he thought with a frown.

With a strong sure voice, Tifa answered in kind.

"My reasons are my own. You do have my word my friends are not involved with this decision making, just me. You can also have peace of mind that Cloud Strife will not be bothering us in our marriage." She stated looking up at him a saw the unbridled surprise in his face that…made him look more human, and enhanced his handsome features. She looked away from him with a blush.

Sephiroth saw her look up at him but caught her blushing. He thought her disgusted to lay eyes on him even. He quickly tried to school his face, sheer sadness was the last emotion to be stomped out. He thought on what she said. What could have been so bad that a woman of her nature had to do something this extreme? And no Cloud and friends interference? What was truly going on?

Tifa made no move to divulge any more about the subject and Sephiroth was thinking about what it could have been that drove her to him, her despair. It was obvious that she hadn't gotten over things in the past. Of course not. How does one get over a burned down town, a stabbed father, and almost being bisected by the one you're _forcing_ yourself to marry?

They both were lost to their own worlds in their minds as Dexter took the moment to continue the contract's details, neither much listening.

The contract was signed by both at the end and the month dating period began. It was awkward to say the least. Over the period of time though, she did notice against her judgement, aspects that she liked about her husband to be. He was handsome, God-like beauty was always Sephiroth's trademark. He actually handled a lot personality-wise like Vincent Valentine surprisingly as he was prone to silence, brooding, and wine and a good book as a idea of a excellent evening. He could cook, and very well. He had a sweet tooth from Ifrit's realm. He had hidden candy all throughout the house, cars they drove, and on his person. He did state it was due to Hojo denying something so simple his whole life he felt he needed to make up for it. Vincent also was a chocoholic. Tifa's heart attests if she didn't know what she knew and if she hadn't lived what she had, she could see herself liking, maybe in time loving the socially retarded General. She admitted when he did show emotion on his face, it was like all the nicest things wrapped up together in a neat little bow, just for her. His smile was heartbreakingly beautiful. She wish she could forgive and forget, she really did.

Likewise, Sephiroth was becoming more enamored with Tifa after their initial rocky start with this "dating" process. She was so gorgeous. He could not have asked for a better match up to himself. She was intelligent and appreciated a good book. She knew he was socially inept due to his rearing and didn't judge. She genuinely enjoyed his cooking and his hoarding of candy. Above all else, she shied less when he slipped and showed his emotions. He wasn't used to that as it had always been the opposite his whole life. Sometimes, when he wad younger, it would result in… bamboo stick beating because he still showed emotions, still had the want to cry. He also wore his hair long for a reason too outside of personal preference… In another life, one not marked with violence and control, Tifa would have made a truly wonderful wife to him, if only history wouldn't get in the way. But it was just like a large cobra simply waiting for movement so it could strike.

The month came and went in a blur and so now had the uncomfortable wedding. She hadn't been lying about her friends. They had truly been aghast at the sight of him. Cloud was not present and had not been invited as she promised. Some sick part of him wanted him to be there, to see his lover taken by another, his arch-enemy no less, but it wasn't to be.

After all that and now his virtue taken by someone who could really care less about him…he couldn't shake it. He couldn't stop the infernal tears from falling from his eyes and it enraged him, making them come on more because the rage gave a bridge to all the hurt, disappointment, and being used… that was it he was being used and he couldn't stop the tears or the cry unabashedly, crying he did now into the open air. Fine, let her hear how she'd hurt him again like so many before her had. All he had been was born and his life was just one battery test after battery test. His DNA was made of percentages because of the shit his mother pulled, the same one he'd jumped through hoops for this damned estate.

Sephiroth cried himself to sleep in a tight ball on the floor.

Unbeknownst to him, Tifa had stayed by the connecting door…and had heard. She didn't know what was going on to make a man of his caliber breakdown like that but she'd find out. It seemed…different and very wrong, like she had wounded his soul-with just her body's actions.

Tifa slowly slinked away from the door to her waiting bed. She couldn't believe how her badly her instincts wanted to check on Sephiroth, her new "husband". Sleep didn't find her this night either but a different reason than she thought. She was not scared, was _worried_ about Sephiroth.

The Harsh Light of Day

Tifa had slept little more than a three hours so she figured the least she would do as newly self appointed wife… was cook breakfast. Tifa was no slouch in this category either. After all, someone had to feed AVALANCHE.

Sephiroth had barely moved from his spot on the floor curled tightly in the fetal position. The scent of ham and bacon frying and eggs being scrambled caused the fallen Angel to jerk up in a splat of long hair and confused jade eyes. Every one of his muscles protested, his center sore. He took mental stock of his body's state and realized that he'd slept on the floor bound tightly in distress...and had cried until he had more or less passed out that way. His body, all long and lithe, hated what he'd done to it. He thought about his new status in life as someone's husband and how he was deflowered without permeable. Did everyone assume because he looked the way he did, he'd been this harlot, freely giving of his body to any willing partner? Had it been so hard to understand that he was indeed a virgin...well had been. He ached in areas not used to being used and crammed into such areas, more a whisper of soreness.

He uncustomarily drug himself up from the floor and towards the ensuite bathroom. What he saw in the vanity mirror was deplorable and a tad tragic. His hair flowed around him but had frizzed up and knotted in places. His normal fair countenance was blotchy with a light pink blush suffused here and there on his face and chest that peered from the soiled kimono he still wore.

What was the most disconcerting were his eyes. They looked haunted, broken. There were dried trails of tears that had fell as they pleased along his face, cheeks, and they had travelled down even along his neck, which was apparent of the long strands of hair that stuck oddly to his neck in places.

He wanted to be mad, he did, but all he felt was the supreme empty void reminding him it was there in his chest like it always did when he was hurt emotionally. It was totally different than physical pain as that was temporary and would pass quickly with the way he healed. Emotional you never got over, it just haunted you no matter where you went and what you did in life. Sephiroth had been exposed to much in his life and in such a short period of time. He felt so old.

He quickly glanced away from the sight in the mirror, and angrily removed his silken kimono that he knew he would never, ever wear again in life due to what it represented and what it was presented for. He honestly felt as if he had been raped, though he knew mentally that is not what transpired, his heart wouldn't change. He quickly showered away the night's disappointment and donned dark grey cargo pants and donned a black long sleeved V-neck sweater. He hurriedly placed his still damp hair in a low tail and quickly braided it. One low level aero/fire spell he perfected in the field later, and his long hair was dried. He needed to talk to Aerith or Angeal one of them. He thought for this instance and the nature of the situation; Angeal would be the best fit.

Aerith had brought them all back with the "Planet's Blessing", she had said. Sephiroth had found himself with his second General and best friend, his second in command after Angeal's passing, Zachary Fair back, and the flower girl Aerith along his side. He had been severely confused as to why or what he done to deserve a fourth chance at life but Aerith simply said "I forgive you-we all forgive you". The conversation had been over before it began.

Sephiroth walked out of his room towards the front door to grab his boots, keys, and identification. He didn't want to see her, not this soon after everything. Tifa saw him passing and called out to him that there was breakfast. He stopped in his pacing, gritting his teeth, closing his eyes to will away the anger and hurt he felt at this time about the situation but turned around and woodenly padded back to the kitchen area, where she awaited him.

Tifa saw Sephiroth pause in the entryway like a frightened animal. The sight of him like that made her worry more about him, though she played it off as if she didn't see the emotions coming off of him in waves. Something had spooked him severely and it raised the fine hairs on her neck. If something upset Sephiroth, genuinely scared him, what would it do to her?

He finally came into the kitchen area taking a seat at the table-in the farthest chair possible. Tifa though it odd but it was pretty innate in the scheme of things. She placed a plate of food before him and honest to the Goddess, he flinched and had moved away from the table as if to protect himself as if she had struck out at him.

Sephiroth was deep in his own mind, not noticing that Tifa had even moved until a plate of food was placed before him. His instincts to protect himself had him pushing away from the table and in a guarded mode before he fully realized what actually was transpiring.

Tifa stood shocked with her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape at his behavior.

His face burned with a embarrassed blush. It was just fucking food, not her fist, what had he been expecting? This overall response to sexual intercourse was ridiculous. He gathered the chair behind him and took a seat again, refusing to look up into that bewildered and fearful face again. He continued to look down into his plate of food and mumbled a small and low "thank you". He didn't eat, more or less he pushed the food around his plate with his fork as his silver brow was so crinkled in thought it looked like it actually hurt.

Tifa knew she should leave the man to his devices, they were just man and wife in name only anyway but again her gut feeling made her worry, especially after how he'd responded after their fucking.

"Sephiroth, are you okay? You haven't touched your food and your are more on edge than normal. Is there something the matter? I know...I know this has been a weird circumstance for the both of us but I do care about...your health" she stated.

After that statement, Sephiroth took it badly.

"You, "caring" for me and "my health"? Preposterous and you know it. The only thing you are worried about is if I am having "another episode" so that you can call your hero Cloud to kill me yet again. You cannot have the insane General showing actual human emotions, that automatically screams "JENOVA". I am not hungry. Thank you for your efforts to try to be a real wife to me, but I assure you it is not needed, not after yesterday; not after last night. Now if you'll excuse me, I will be meeting with Angeal. Do not wait up!" and with that Sephiroth did push away from the table and in a flurry of black, gray, and silver, was out of the door with a slam that seemed to shake the whole of the house in the now silence that reigned in the kitchen.

Tifa stood stock still, taking in what he had said. She wanted to be furious with him for talking to him the way he did, but there was a undercurrent of something else. He was saddened and the fact that he thought that she had Cloud on speed dial did make her angry. He had no idea that that same "hero" was the reason she had even chose this route in life. And furthermore, what did he mean by throwing her genuine care for his wellbeing back in his face? If she thought his asinine self was still even halfway infected by Jenova, she'd try to put him back in the Lifestream herself. Did he really think her that petty? Furthermore, what did he mean by " showing emotions" or "after yesterday...last night, don't try to be a wife"?

She did the only thing she could do...she called Aerith and Zachary. She needed to have a better understanding of Sephiroth than what her history with him was or what lab reports could produce. If she didn't, they would never make it a month on distrust alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Sephiroth quickly dialed Angeal on his PHS in his vehicle. He again had the overwhelming and uncomfortable feeling of mourning yet again. This was getting to be terrible. How would he ever be taken seriously if he mopped around like a heart broken female? Angeal Hewley answered on the second ring.

"Seph my friend, how are you? It has been too long. I have been preoccupied with the puppy but know I was thinking to check on you. I heard you got married while I was away on mission- "

Sephiroth against his own self, whimpered at the mention of his "wedding" and the memory of what followed afterwards, against his own steely control.

Angeal was still just as enhanced and he heard the sound Sephiroth made, most likely against his own wishes, he proceeded cautiously.

"Sephiroth…what's wrong? Do you need me to come to you so we can talk? I have known you too long and I can help be a listening ear" he pressed. He knew Sephiroth could be notoriously private and even more so quiet when something was bothering him; Sephiroth shocked him to death.

With his head planted on his arm braced by the steering wheel, the cool leather against his forehead, he simply stated "yes, it would be good to talk…please."

Angeal pulled the device away from his head and glared at it, wondering where the real Sephiroth was and who was this clever imposter. When Sephiroth confirmed that he'd meet him at the usual place, his eyes went comically wide but he somehow managed to say an agreement on the meeting. The line was disconnected. It was Sephiroth, but what in Gaia's name was wrong with him?

Angeal quickly said goodbye to Zachary, who pouted but in the end understood. He had to talk to Sephiroth and see what was wrong.

Back across town, Tifa was doing her own research on her husband. She called her closest male friend… and got another on the phone, and a familiar female in the background.

"Vincent's phone. How can he help you?" the smooth, pleasant voice though monotonous, stated, her other friend clearly talking to the one in question in the background.

"Tseng, I know Vincent despises his phone but really? You know what, don't care so don't answer. I really need to talk to him. It's…it's about Sephiroth" Tifa said.

There was no indication that the phone had switched hands that quickly until the deep timbre of Vincent's own voice spoke.

"There's trouble?" he simply asked ready for anything if need be. Sephiroth was his son he'd found out and he'd help her anyway he could for both. She didn't know yet he was Sephiroth's father, nor did Sephiroth. Tseng and Yuffie had helped him stay grounded after the OMEGA crisis and Deepground. They were all…dating. It had been just Vincent and Yuffie after those events, then Tseng wanting to thank him for his kidnapping by the remnants became anything but chaste. Yuffie had begged to keep Tseng, as if she even had to. Vincent was hooked on him. She even wanted him sexually. For Tseng, it was right up his alley since they were both beautiful and both wanted him. He would oblige them. Everyone knew about them too and were fine with it.

"No, no trouble. I just have questions about Sephiroth. I…want to get to know him if this is to be good for us both. Why don't Tseng and yourself come? You both have knowledge about him and at different times of his life" she coaxed, breaking Vincent's musings.

Vincent conceded along with Tseng to come meet with her. Tifa said hello to Yuffie as the men headed her way.

After a quick text confirming that Sephiroth had contacted Angeal from Tifa, she left it at that stating whatever it was, she knew Sephiroth would be in good hands. Angeal had wrote back thanking her for having faith in his friendship with her husband. Tifa stilled at the notion. Sephiroth was her _husband_. It still took her by surprise and she'd had seen all he had to offer her and had given her. They still were perfect strangers with water under the bridge between them. Tifa wanted to move on. Hate for a puppet master alien entity that had used that person too wasn't helping.

Soon Tifa and Vincent and Tseng had made their way back to Seventh Heaven. She still owned it but had her son Denzel, Cloud when he was off the road, and Marlene running it with their own crew.

It was odd to see children, no longer children anymore. They had been twelve and eleven when they started the whole ordeal and now they were young men and women who had fallen in love throughout the tragedy that they had had to grow up in. Denzel had been reared by Cloud and herself exclusively after the events of Advent Day. There was so much of Cloud in the boy that she couldn't deny his involvement with the young man, even down to his sword skills and hand to hand from herself. Marlene also was growing up to be a wonderful woman. She was now fourteen going on fifteen and Denzel had just turned seventeen years old. She always came by to make sure that Denzel had his necessities and that he was okay.

At first, he had been resentful of the decision that Tifa was making…until she had to tell him _exactly why_ this was needed and what was at stake. Quickly that hatred and disappointment had been turned on Cloud for his way of handling things though that was not Tifa's intention. She didn't have anything bad to say about Cloud…he just made very poor decisions and continued to run when others were susceptible to be hurt by them. Nonetheless, after Denzel had confided in Marlene and her step mother Elmyra now, the secret had been safe between them. Not even Barrett knew the extents that Tifa had had to go to end up in this situation.

Tifa came back to herself after greeting her son and Marlene with hugs and kisses that were met with a blush of embarrassment by Denzel though he allowed it because it was his mom, Marlene with a smile, and a hug to Elmyra for her friend that had been brought back to her, Aerith.

Tifa had sat at the bar talking with her son and would be future daughter-in-law both, Vincent and Tseng swept into the building, both sporting TURK suits. Vincent's was modified from a soft matte leather, straps still covering his legs here and there and his holster at his side for Cerberus. He had his hair pulled back into a messy ponytail as Tseng was content to let his flow freely down his back as they both took up their favorite haunts by the hearth in the high back chairs. Tifa watched each male until they took their seats. She agreed mentally that they made a beautiful pair together and ordered their normal round of red and white wine. Once the beverages were procured, she took her own whiskey with her and went to serve the men as she prepared to try to learn all there was to know about her erstwhile husband.

Both men thanked her as she served them their drinks and she pulled up a chair of her own in the middle of the two by the hearth.

Vincent surprisingly went first, and what he had to say was shocking and yet not to say the least.

"Tifa…there's something that you should know about Sephiroth and I. After…secrets were revealed during my fight with OMEGA and the Deepground… Lucrecia revealed to me that I am Sephiroth's biological father" he said smoothly while looking at the woman with his own carmine eyes.

Tifa wanted to be shocked truly but honestly it made a lot of sense. If she were to put darker hair on him, take away the cattish pupils and grant Vincent's own eye color to him, she could concede she could see it. She also knew what Sephiroth's mother had looked like from old pictures that Vincent had confided in her about. Her husband was the prefect mixture of his father and his mother.

"I see" was all she could manage to say intelligently being so deep into thought. She tried again.

"I mean I can definitely see a lot of your personality in him, now that that has been revealed. Thank you…for telling me, trusting me as you have. Does anyone else know besides your significant others?" she said looking at Tseng and thinking of Yuffie.

"We are all that knows that secret, Yuffie and I. Alas, your husband doesn't even know" Tseng spoke up for the man, Vincent not minding in the least. There was an air of comfort to the way they handled.

This was news to her. She knew from her observations of Sephiroth that he was sadden because he truly believed himself to still be a monster for things he technically didn't do and the fact he had no one that was on his level of jacked up in his corner, caused the man depression even if he wasn't aware that she knew about it. Vincent's guidance and revelation was needed and he really didn't know.

"I was…hesitant to tell him because of all of our histories together. I was very distraught when I found out, as you can imagine as we had hunted him down…had to ultimately kill him" to which for once real emotion showed on Vincent's face. "I remember him…in the labs as nothing more than a walking infant at the time. I had always had my doubts of Hojo's parentage of him, but I too was held captive. I couldn't…I was unable to even save myself" Vincent said, propping his face upon his human hand on the chair looking sadly thoughtful about the turn of events that had been his and his _child's_ life.

"For something so small at the time, he had a perchance of escaping where they would try to keep him under lock and key in their mock "nursery". As soon as he could walk, he would naturally seek me out, his eyes literally glowing in the dark, tracking his way to my cell where I was kept. He would…become upset, cry, as if he knew that Hojo was doing his dirty work on my body. I wanted him to be as far away from me as he could to save his youthful innocence…but he sought me out every time. After I had been completely changed and right before I was drained from the Mako chamber where I was barely cognizant of the world around me, I did focus and saw his small hands against the tube and him beating against it to release me. He was crying his eyes out and I couldn't reply as I had all the other times. He looked…haunted, even at the tender age of three. The next day I was being stowed away as a forgotten plaything and he was on a helicopter far away from me, never to see me again until that fateful day almost eight years' prior" Vincent stated with finality on the thought.

He had said more on the subject than Tifa or Tseng had expected and it was apparent it had taken its toll on him mentally, if only a little to relive those horrible memories.

Tseng placed a hand on Vincent's knee in a well-meaning gesture of support, something the two had learned to show: support and emotions more, even after being bred to be the top and best TURKS alive.

Tseng then took over the reins with the young man he knew Sephiroth to be. After all, they had both been friends and still were, even if it was tentative because of all that had happened. But of course, Sephiroth had tried to stab him to death fatally in the Temple of the Ancients and again his multi-composite form of the Remnants again attempted to end him as well.

"Sephiroth has always been soft spoken and reserved. He was always kind to his men despite the huge difference between his own strength and those of his peers. He never craved his title of being General or anything assigned by Shinra. He often did confide that he felt like he was alone in the world, that no one truly understood his difference. He knew and despised his alleged 'father' Hojo due to his abuse, he bemoaned his difference with his hair color, eyes, and preternatural strength and skills, even when he had his friendship with the other two Generals, Hewley and Rhapsodos. He longed for true love but only managed to be used greatly. He never deserved his downfall and the subsequent use of his face for no reason" Tseng said uncustomarily solemn, taking a sip of his wine.

Tifa listened to both men and their recount of her now spouse. He had been exposed to his real father's abuse and suffering at a early age and then forcefully separated from him though he didn't know how important Vincent Valentine was to be to him. Tseng speaks as if he were describing Sephiroth…currently. It is as if the man never had a chance at life. Tifa took another shot of her own whiskey and contemplates what was said.

Both of the men's faces and emotions were the most telling. It was going to be hard but she would give her daddy a restful peace and try to leave the events of Nibelheim where they belonged-in the past.

Sephiroth looked up from his menu as Angeal slipped into the booth across from him. Sephiroth was looking but really not finding anything he was able to eat, not with his current stress.

Angeal took in Sephiroth's non pristine appearance and knew that something was definitely amiss. Before he could start, Sephiroth began the conversation.

"I don't know what I am doing. I gather the process of being husband and wife but…she is my ex-enemy. She despises me for my involvement in her life, though I was thoroughly used in form and mind, to have destroyed her hometown and killed her only family she had. I don't know what drew her to….me. Why would she not just leave me alone after she knew who I was? Then on top of that… she, she treated my body like a common harlot. Why would she do that to me?" he asked, subdued, the menu long forgotten, his face showing more than he intended.

The overall wretched sentence and confused pain of the last question cut Angeal deep. Sephiroth would never show this amount of emotion. What had happened to his friend? Wasn't he married and happy in life?

"Sephiroth, what is going on? What did she do to your body?" Angeal was alarmed.

"I. . . I had to marry, for my mother's estate. My lawyer placed a marriage ad on a site. I was…destitute. I didn't have so much as a bed to call my own before. All my assets from Shinra had been frozen, even now. What messed up situation would bring my arch-enemy's love interest to me? She dated me for a whole entire month, and then married me, taking away the only thing I had left of myself. I was just trying to survive since I was brought back again" Sephiroth at this point was breathing harder, becoming more pale as he relived the pain.

Angeal quickly slipped out of the booth, grabbed Sephiroth by the shoulders, snapping him back into the now, though his eyes were wild.

Angeal knew exactly what Sephiroth was talking about and honestly thought that Sephiroth would be better suited leaving with him to his home… for a time, until this was sorted.

He didn't like how Sephiroth was behaving… like he did in the past when he felt like he had no choice. Yes, the man had a sad history that was full of doppelgangers and violence not by his hands.

Sephiroth didn't deserve this.

He got the man to his vehicle and sat him down. Sephiroth looked ahead as if he wasn't really seeing his current surroundings or even the base subject was what they were talking about. He was seeing his past, all painful and bloody.

Angeal sent a quick text confirming that Sephiroth would be better suited with him for a couple of days, nervous texts now from Tifa spilling forth. Angeal got into the driver's seat, ignoring any other texts in lieu of his friend who if not handled properly with his previous life experience, could easily have another episode. With that thought, they both drove towards Angeal's home to help work through this darkness together.

He sat Sephiroth on the sofa opposite his in his two bedroom apartment and poured him a stiff drink, that he took but seemed only to want to hold onto as he stared straight ahead, his face a mask of confusion and his eyes swollen from his recent tears. He tried to distract him by telling him about his recent mission while he quickly assembled a huge plate of nachos, knowing Sephiroth could never resist snacking if food was placed in front of him and counted on this. He placed the plate in front of him with salsa and sour cream for dipping and was happy to note that his hand automatically reached for one of the cheese drenched chips.

Taking a sip of his own drink, he said. "I want you to tell me exactly what happened, starting where you learned of this inheritance, everything up until now, please leave nothing out. I need to know exactly what has occurred in order to be help you with your situation" he urged him and noted with satisfaction that he had eaten half of the plate.

Sephiroth gave him a look and explained it all in a weary voice. Angeal listened and noted that some of what he said painted his new wife in a positive light but little of it made sense. Why had she married him? He didn't know Tifa that well, but she didn't seem the greedy sort, she seemed very kind in fact.

Of course he had been shocked to learn of Sephiroth's rushed marriage, but had figured that even if it was wildly out of character for him, love makes you do strange things. Certainly Angeal had thought that given how lonely Sephiroth had been most of his life, if he found love, he would do anything to bind that person to him. But this mockery of wedded bliss made Angeal angry for his friend. He had hoped that Sephiroth had finally found the love he always wanted, only to gain this sham.

Sephiroth's voice sound broken when he got the point of his wedding night and his voice fizzled out at the end. It was as Angeal had feared, his first time he had had sex, he had been _jumped_. Angeal was one of the few that actually knew that the Silver General had been asexual, he just had had no interest in it.

Angeal felt like hunting down the young woman for her causal use of his body, yet he also realized that Sephiroth hadn't told her. She couldn't have known that the most powerful being on the planet had been a nervous _virgin_ on his own wedding night.

"I asked her if she wanted to wait for another night" he said, trying to hold his tears back. "Why do I feel like this?" He asked him in a small voice.

"Because virgins need to feel safe with their first person and that they are cared about. That person should be gentle and compassionate with them and lovingly guide them through the act. It doesn't matter who you are or how old you are. You received none of that. Of course you are going to hurt" he explained. He could only wish that things had been different, that Sephiroth had told her and she had given him time to ease him into the act. They were contracted for five years, surely they could have waited a month or two for him to get comfortable with the role of lover? Or that she had approached their intercourse on a gentler level and made it more like love making. He could see why Sephiroth felt like he had been raped.

"I guess that it's a consolation, I won't have to do this again" Sephiroth said in a bitter tone of voice. "I'm not made for feeling like this."

"It sounds like she does care about you" Angeal said. "Perhaps if you talked to her? Told her why you are upset?" Angeal said.

Sephiroth laughed at the idea, "like she would care after all I took from her, you think she going to care that her would-be murder, turned husband is all weepy about losing his virginity?" he said in self mockery. "It's better she never knows, it doesn't matter" he decided.

"Clearly it does matter as it should. It was precious and with your life history, the hurt is going to be amplified. Vent all you want, we'll spar if you want to go to the VR room, you can call up Genesis and kick his ass again. We'll have a guys night if you want. How can I help?" He said.

"I just want to sleep, all of this has been too much. I need just to rest" he said, wanting only to escape into slumber.

"Then come" he said, knowing his friend's tendency to brood when truly upset, leading him into his spare bedroom. "Take the rest you need and when you wake, I shall have dinner ready. I wish you had contacted me, heck contacted any of us before taking on this inheritance and wife. I would have given you a place to live and kept you fed" he said.

"I prefer to depend only myself. I don't want to be anyone's burden" he replied and Angeal got him some sleep clothes and allowed him privacy to change. Not that he hadn't seen the other male unclad many times before, but he had never seen him this vulnerable before.

"Just rest, you can stay as long as you need to" he assured him.

"Thanks for being a friend" Sephiroth said as he settled under the blankets, glad to be with someone he felt safe with as he trustingly went to sleep.

Angeal flipped off the lights and closed the door softly after himself, concerned about his friend. Sephiroth had always been so elusive emotionally in the past and seeing him this fragile disturbed him.

He remembered when he first met him, he had been the oddest looking man he had ever met who was almost girlish in appearance, Genesis being the biggest slut over both sexes was the first one to notice him and desired to add him as a notch on his belt.

Sephiroth however had been coolly polite on that point and had seemed so distant that something about him made the kind hearted Angeal long to befriend him. There were so many rumors already about his prowess on the battlefield, but no one seemed to really know him or anything about him. So he began a campaign of attempting to win him over, they had finally bonded when Sephiroth actually had broken his famous composure and actually had a snit where he informed Angeal that he was _not_ interested in him and _not_ gay. Angeal had just informed him he was pretty for a guy, but was not into guys either. He had laughed at this.

From there they had just drifted into a friendship that had deepened over time, Sephiroth had come to know that Angeal and Genesis had his back. Genesis had long since given up on him and pursued other people and Angeal had had his own affairs as well, but both were there for Sephiroth, be it going on a double dates when he was forced to accompany the daughters of dignitaries to events or to help him get rid of his suitors. He certainly had no trouble in that department as he stood before the people looking as cold as an iceberg upon refusal, while people desiring him always made him feel a sense of panic. Rumors were abound about the three of them, speculations about what they did behind closed doors. Angeal never denied a thing, nor Genesis, having Sephiroth looking like he was spoken for wasn't a bad thing.

He finally sat down and read Tifa's texts, they all were about wanting to know what was going on and how Sephiroth was doing. All of her texts were indicative of her caring about him on some level, but how could Angeal really judge? He could only hope that her feelings for him would deepen with time, he certainly deserved that. Once you got to know what dwelled within the cold and stony exterior of Sephiroth Crescent, there was no way not to love him, if only as a friend. Five years was a long time and Sephiroth was an enigma worth solving.

He picked up his PHS and let her know that Sephiroth was okay and would be staying with him for a few days and requested she pack a bag for him, including his toiletries or have one of their staff do it and he would pick it up. Sephiroth was close to him in height but their body styles as different as night and day. He explained what had upset him was too personal for himself to divulge and Sephiroth himself would tell her, but she would have to give him time in order to be comfortable in doing so.

"Now I have an important mission for you soldier, find me a chicken about this big" Angeal said holding his hands up to indicate the size he was to search for.

"Why am I here? You know how I feel about grocery shopping" Sephiroth groused.

"Because Seph, if I don't keep you distracted, you will spend your time dwelling in my guest room brooding on the bed about what is bothering you and that will achieve nothing. You need to keep busy" he said.

Sephiroth glared at the man.

"You look so cute when you pout like that, now go get that chicken" Angeal said giving him a wide smile and watched him stalk off.

He was enjoying spending time with his friend, it was a nice distraction as Angeal would hate to admit it to anyone, but he had been lonely without anyone in his life. Certainly he couldn't call up last girlfriend, years had passed while he was in lifestream, she would have moved on by now and gotten married and had kids most likely.

He had been there as a friend to Sephiroth as he always had been to him, just letting him work through his problems but willing to listen if he wanted his input. Keeping him busy, but allowing him space as well.

The groceries were bought and paid for and they returned to Angeal's place. Sephiroth helped him unpack and stow the groceries away. "So what should we do for dinner..." He asked him.

"Could I ask you for relationship advice?" Sephiroth asked him.

"Of course what would you like to know?" Angeal asked him.

"Everything" he said.

"I'll open a bottle of wine, this might take awhile" he observed.

"There is no mystery to being with a woman, you talk to them as you would anyone else and treat them with respect and they will do the same to you" Angeal explained.

"How important is sex in a relationship?" Sephiroth said, casting an embarrassed look at him.

"It is important but only a part of it, people like intimacy and that is the closest you can get to another person, sex is important in a healthy relationship. You'll see what I mean one day" Angeal explained.

"No I won't, I don't want to repeat that again" Sephiroth said.

"Sephiroth, the way you were seduced; you weren't ready for it. Some day you will make love with someone and it will feel so different. Sex isn't just about release, it is a way to physically show someone how much they mean to you" he explained.

"Make love, fuck: what's the difference? I certainly felt no caring involved in the act" Sephiroth stubbornly said.

"Do you like Tifa? Are you attracted to her?" Angeal asked him.

"Well, yes, she's very attractive but there is more than just that. She's kind and loyal and makes me laugh and seems to accept me as I am" he said with more exuberance than usual.

"Do you care about her?" Angeal asked him.

"I enjoy her company, I like being with her and I find myself missing her despite what occurred, so I guess I must" Sephiroth said after a long pause, trying to get a handle on his emotions towards the young women.

"I want you to read the texts she sent me and then judge whether she really cares about you or not" Angeal said handing him his PHS and watched his face as he scrolled through their chat thread, although his face was neutral, there seemed to be surprise and confusion in his eyes.

The inquires all were about her being worried for his health, asking if he needed anything and how she had personally packed his bag. He paused at that, she had included all of his favourite clothes and in each item of clothing, candies had been hidden and had been released as he unpacked. This had caused him to smile in his misery as even his socks were bulging with treats. That had been her? What did it mean? "Those don't seem to be from someone who dislikes you" Angeal pointed out.

"She offered to be a true wife to me" he said dismissively.

"Why not give her a chance? She probably is just as confused by your separation" he said. "You should be honest with her about what upset you, you can't keep secrets in a relationship" Angeal cautioned him.

"She's keeping secrets from me" Sephiroth pointed out.

"In time she will tell you, she seems like a genuinely honest person, that's what everyone says about her" Angeal said.

"Then perhaps in time, I shall as well" he said.

"Let me show you the greatest way you can help a female, sit on my lap" he ordered him, patting it

"Why would I want to do that?" He asked him aghast.

"So I can show you what I mean" he said, patting his lap and Sephiroth gingerly sat on it.

"How does this feel?" He asked him when he wrapped his arms around him and started stroking his hair.

"I'm weirded out and highly uncomfortable and don't like the location of your genitals to my person" he said with a frown. "Why are you mussing my hair?"

"I'm stroking it" he replied.

"Why?" He asked him.

"Just pretend you're a small female" he said.

"But I cannot because I never have been. What is the meaning of all of this and how much longer must I sit on you?" He demanded.

"This is how you comfort a woman when she's upset, she feels protected because of how you're sheltering her with your larger body. It works everything" he explained.

"So I can get up now?" He asked him.

"I guess so, however you have a butt like a firm peach ready for the plucking, I find myself enjoying having you on my lap" Angeal said, suddenly settling his hand on one of his friend's rock solid cheeks and giving it an appreciative squeeze while grinding him genitals upwards against it. This caused the other man to vault off his lap like the cloth of Angeal's jeans had scalded him.

"Really was that necessary?" He snapped at him, looking offended.

"I couldn't resist" he said.

"I can't hide here like a frightened child, I have to go home and put things right between Tifa and I" he said and all levity went out of the room.

"Do you want me to come with you?" He asked him.

"No, this is between my wife and I" he said, using that title for Tifa in front of someone for the first time and oddly enough, he didn't feel uncomfortable saying it.

"I wish you luck and if you ever need to come back, I'm here for you" Angeal said to him.

"I know that you will always have my back" Sephiroth said, placing his hand on the broader man's shoulder in thanks.

Angeal looked at his friend and impulsively said, "Sephiroth if either of us had been a female, I would taken you to my bed long ago and you would know the difference between harsh fucking and making love. You know I love you, man"

Both men looked at each other, a blush crept over Sephiroth's face and an answering one suffused Angeal's own "Wow that sounded..." Angeal said.

"I agree, it's time I go home" he said.

Tifa could only look in shock at her PHS phone where Sephiroth had texted he was on his way.

Sephiroth stared out his windshield at what was now his home, that contained his wife and didn't know how to treat her. The hurt was still there but he had resolved to get past it, she didn't know after all because he hadn't let her know. Intercourse was after all a condition to make their marriage legal that had trapped them both. She had been a victim like himself.

Tifa was just as nervous when Sephiroth's car drew up before their mansion. She peeked out and noticed he was staring at the house with a look of almost fear on his face, before he opened the door with resolve, grabbed the duffle bag that she had packed him and started towards their entry way. Tifa suddenly appeared in the doorway, "Sephiroth" she said and felt rather hurt when he flinched from her. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you, I won't touch you" she said stepping back.

"Thank you I appreciate that" he said.

"Are you, okay?" She asked him.

"I'm feeling more emotionally stable" he darkly said.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked him.

"Not yet, I would prefer to tell you at a later time. It's not that I don't feel I cannot trust you, I am not one given to sharing my feelings with someone. Emotions are hard for me to process, I need time to adjust to being with you. Barring that, it doesn't mean I don't care for you. I do care for you" he said.

"I will give you the time you need to adjust" she promised him.

"What I said to you about you being a wife, I should not have said that For reasons you wish to remain private, you are aiding me and I have no right to judge you. I promise to be a husband to you in sickness and in health. I clearly haven't been doing a good job so far. It will get better, but please bear in mind that with my unconventional upbringing, I will probably say and do things that hurt you and I want you to tell me when I do. All of this is new to me because I have never been with anyone in a relationship of any sort. That being said, I promise to honour you as my wife and treat you with respect" he said with resolve in voice.

"I can live with that. I'll give you space as you need it and promise to help you adjust" Tifa said.

"I request that we leave off having sex" he said leaving at that.

"That's acceptable" Tifa agreed.

"Thank you" he said with relief in his voice.

"So now what?" She asked him.

"We live together and see what sort of relationship we form. Until then, I would like to give you a hug" he said shocking both of them.

Tifa looked at him in shock, while dating they had often spent quiet evenings together at Dexter's, the kindly man insisting on working late on the nights they got together. Sephiroth would normally make them dinner and then they would sip wine and talk about many things. Never did they attempt to touch, their first kiss had been the wedding itself and then there was a their disastrous wedding night (for him, not her). Sure they had had intercourse as they had had to, but what Sephiroth was offering seemed much more imitate somehow. "Are you sure?" She asked him.

"Come here" he said holding his arms out, determined to get over his intimacy issues it wouldn't be fair to either of them if he didn't. He was going to get used to touching her, he felt a tad squeamish to have someone so close to him as she moved tentatively forward as if not to scare him and he actually jumped a little when she leaned against him. He forced his arms around her and realized how tiny she was suddenly felt almost violently protective of her. She was his wife after all.

Aerith looked over to where Zack was openly flirting with another girl and wondered why she had agreed to have an open relationship with him. He had explained he needed to have physical relationships before he married her and somehow in her blinding love for him, she had agreed. She had assumed their relationship would move forward from where it was left off, as she thought it would in the first place and had chosen to live with him. It hurt so much to watch him with other women while she slept in her virginal bed. At least he didn't bring them home she reasoned, but to see him returning in the mornings smelling of perfume was bad enough.

Her thoughts turned to another man who was in her heart, she hadn't expected to start to care about him when she tracked him down in the darkest corner he could find in lifestream, curious about her murderer. He hadn't wanted to talk her but she managed to wear him down finally and he opened up to her and she found in him a man worth knowing, they had bonded over neither of them being fully human.

As time went on, they became friends and she could see how tragic his life was and his longing for love and her own heart opened to take him in. There hadn't been a question of leaving him behind when she decided to leave lifestream with her two trueloves and brought his friend with him for emotional support and that he was a fine man in his own right. She had looked at Sephiroth looking so gorgeous and regal in his sanity and back in the flesh and wondered if she had brought the right man back to be her own. Zack had proved to be such a child.


	4. Chapter 4

Sephiroth moved deeply inside his wife's smoothly muscular body, she seemed to melt around him yet clench on him as her soft sighs were breathed into his ears while they made love belly to belly on the soft sheets. She had her long legs wrapped around his hips, tightening her like a vice around him. Her small hands rested on his back, her head lulling back in her pleasure as she murmured how good he felt in a broken voice. She was so wet, gloriously wet as her softness met his hardness as they glided together in a dance older than time. He watched her flushed face as her hips surged in time with his, prolonging their pleasure, neither in a rush to reach their pinnacles, just savouring the sensation.

The heady smell of their coupling filled their room and made his head swim.

His head bent to capture her lips and she kissed him back frantically, causing him to speed up his thrusts until she whimpered as it spiked her pleasure and her nails bit into his broad back and this burst of pain caused him to go into overdrive. Her lips dropped from his to wail out her orgasm as her nails parted furrows into his back and with a satisfying burst, he filled her with his essence.

"Tifa" he cried out and collapsed forward into her waiting arms as he held her sweetly damp body against his own. He leaned back to catch the satisfied smile she always wore after they had intercourse...and woke up swollen with need in the center of his body and sexually frustrated as he had for weeks now.

He groaned and got up with his personal traitor jutting ahead of him as he walked to the washroom to take an ice cold shower, refusing to give his body the release it sought. He didn't understand why he was having the erotic dreams in the first place, he had only had sexual intercourse the once and he reacted badly to it. Yet almost nightly he coupled with Tifa and did things to her body with his tongue, fingers and penis he couldn't imagine doing in real life. Yes the sexual satisfaction had felt really good, but not so much that it needed repeating in how emotionally it had disturbed him. Tifa sometimes looked at him in a hungry way that made him uncomfortable but didn't ask this from him.

He and Tifa had reached a truce of sorts and had formed a tentative friendship. It had helped talking with Angeal to put things in perspective but he was no closer to divulging the secret that Tifa had been his first anymore than he had learned of her reason for marrying him in the first place.

As time went by, both got to know each other's habits. She got to know that if the door was shut on his bedroom or office, to leave him be until he emerged. They would have common meals together and would talk about their days if they had been separated. He found out that she liked to have a single glass of red wine before turning in and found himself joining her before the fireplace in their informal living room. He would slowly drink his own glass as she prattled on and even found himself lingering as her eyes started to blink shut, then would walk her to her room so they could both retire for the night. Their adjoining room door never really locked between them but also never opened.

One of the many topics she liked to discuss was her adoptive son, now his too apparently. He was a likeable young man who was distant to Sephiroth for what he represented to him. But appeared to be trying to bridge that gap by suggesting sword lessons on one similar to Sephiroth's own Masamune as he had never fought with one so slim and deadly before.

That got Sephiroth thinking about children and had Dexter check the will again for mention of them, but was assured they were not required. Then felt guilty that in Tifa's time spent with him, some of her most promising fertile years would lapse. So if she wanted children from her body, she would have to remarry fast. Perhaps they could...Sephiroth shook his head to clear it of foolish thoughts, putting it down to his still being groggy from sleep and the sexual endorphins coursing through his system due to his sexually charged dreams. He felt weirded out that here he wasn't even have sex with her, yet here he was planning for them to procreate? Perhaps he was going insane-again? Or was he starting to buy into their own ruse? He questioned himself. Tifa certainly wouldn't want him to pollute her body with his children, he concluded.

He finished his shower and now back to normal, he got into his leathers to go to his meeting with Angeal and Rufus as he was talking about hiring both enhanced men for missions too dangerous for normal men. Sephiroth had been holding out on this, reluctant to get involved with another Shinra, even if Rufus seemed far more benign than his father. However there was something shifty in his character that be didn't really trust completely. He wasn't afraid of danger, he literally had been made for danger and was the embodiment of danger.

He was lost in his thoughts where he questioned if why he uwas holding out so much was partly because he worried about what would happen to Tifa if anything should happen to him. Why should she care? It was a marriage of convenience. She would go through the motions of being a newly rich widow and probably be in bed with her precious Cloud before his body was even cool. He found himself clenching and unclenching his fists in the middle of the living room at this idea.

"Sephiroth?" Tifa called as she stepped into the living room after searching for him.

"I'm sorry did you need something?" he asked her politely, coming out of his trance.

"I was wondering if you would like me to make you some breakfast before I go shopping with Yuffie?" she asked him.

"No it's okay, I have a breakfast meeting with Rufus and Angeal" he reminded her.

"Okay, I'll see you later" she said, he looked at her chosen outfit for the day and that, coupled with the erotic dreams he had been having about her, he snapped when he thought back on what Aerith had been talking to him about.

Flashback

"I have a delicate matter I wish to discuss with you" she said.

"What is it?" Sephiroth asked her as he lowered his menu. She had met him at the end of his meeting just in time for lunch and had insisted on accompanying him.

"I know that it is really none of my business what is going on in your fake marriage but; it's about the way Tifa is dressing. People are starting to talk" she said in feigned concern.

"What's wrong with the way she dresses?" Sephiroth asked her, baffled by what his friend was saying. Tifa normally wore revealing outfits that he certainly appreciated, even if they were a little frustrating at the same time.

"A proper married lady shouldn't dress like that, especially a high placed Duchess. Her daily attire makes her look like she's off to put in her shift at brothel and makes a mockery of yourself as a member of royalty and as her husband. She's humiliating you by dressing that way and it is only a matter of time before the press realizes it" she explained to him. "A high born person like yourself can't have a liability like that living with them " she said and hid an evil smile behind her menu and studied Sephiroth's frown over top of it.

End Flashback

He studied Tifa's outfit of the day, as a heterosexual male he certainly appreciated it, she had on a short crop t-shirt that revealed her toned midriff and her usual leather mini skirt with boots. She also appeared not to be wearing a bra of any description as her soft nipples poked out the thin fabric and Sephiroth then understood what Aerith had been talking about. Other men were seeing her out and about, dressed like this and wanting her and thinking she was on the market by dressing so provocatively. Even if she wore his wedding ring, she was still advertising her goods.

"I'm sorry where do you plan to go dressed that way?" he coldly asked her.

"What do you mean?" she said looking down at what he was objecting to.

"I mean your attire: it is unbecoming of a married woman to dress that way. It gives the wrong impression about _us_ " he snapped at her.

"This isn't the middle ages. I can dress how I want" she snapped back at him.

"As I recall, you wore about the same amount of clothes when I met the teenaged you. Isn't it time you dress as a grown woman should?" he insisted.

"Are you implying that there is something wrong with my body that I need to cover it up?" she demanded.

"No of course not, you have an excellent figure" Sephiroth said through gritted teeth, deciding he would rather deal with the most dimwitted grunt than have to deal with a hot headed wife.

"Then what is the problem?" she asked him with a smirk.

"The problem is that everyone can see practically every part of _my_ wife's body. That you would make a mockery of our marriage" he coldly said. "You agreed to be my wife in every way for the next five years, think of the message you're sending to other men" he said.

"At least they want me" she snapped.

"It's not that I don't. It's just we can't have a sexual relationship at the moment, perhaps in the future? I'm just not ready" he said.

"Why not?" she demanded.

"The reasons are change. Or I shall lock you in the basement?" he threatened.

"I would like to see you try" she snarled at him.

He felt like ripping his hair out by the roots. "Tifa, I ask you for nothing. You come and go as you please. You see your friends as you wish. You live in a mansion and now are a rich Duchess. I deny you nothing and your allowance is more than generous. I don't force you to do a thing. I now _request_ that you dress in a respectable manner as befitting your station in life and as my wife" he said.

"Fine" she said and stomped off to change. She returned wearing a purple long sleeved t-shirt that although was form fitting, wasn't low cut and a knee length skirt. "Do I pass your inspection, General?" she asked him facetiously.

"Much better" he said with relief in his voice. "Well I have to go" he said, bending to impulsively kiss her cheek.

"Where do you think you're going looking like _that_?" Tifa demanded grabbing his arm as he tried to depart.

"Like what?" he said examining himself in confusion, not seeing anything out of place.

"Married men don't go flashing their bare chests around like that. Put on a shirt and then you can leave" she insisted.

"You cannot be serious! I have always worn my uniform like this. I get too hot wearing something beneath" he insisted.

"You look far too provocative. What's good for the goose is good for the gander" she insisted and towed him to his room while he protested.

"Here a white collared shirt ought to do " she said as she rummaged through his closet and handed it to him. "Honestly your other friends wore shirts, you can too. I don't know why you even bother wearing that relic. That program was over a long time ago. Trench and harness off now and put this on and then you can go" she insisted.

"No" he protested.

"So why don't I show you what even I wouldn't dare to wear in public and that will be my chosen outfit of the day?" she said with a smirk going to change and paraded herself before him. He swallowed hard: she looked positively lewd, a wet dream come to life. He wrenched off his trench so fast that he dislodged an array of mini chocolate bars he had secreted in the pockets to shower upon the floor.

"Sephiroth, you're late..." Rufus said and then laughed at the newly conservatively dressed Sephiroth.

"Wow I haven't see you so covered up since grunt days" Angeal said with a grin.

"Apparently, married men don't go around flashing their goodies" Sephiroth explained with a blush.

"Tifa made you dress this way? I'm surprised you didn't stand up to her" Angeal said.

"Tifa can be very persuasive in her arguments" he said blushing to remember the bundles of triangles and strings that she had laughingly called a bikini. Talk about taking the passive aggressive approach!

"I never thought I would meet the woman who could bring you to heel. I don't understand why you still wear that old thing? I mothballed mine a long time ago" Angeal said with a shake of his head indicating to where he wore normal combat clothing.

"I have to agree, you'll stand out like a sore thumb during missions. I had the seamstress design a new uniforms for you both, breathable ones at that," Rufus declared holding it out to them.

"That is certainly different" Angeal said in approval.

"Oh very well, but let's get this meeting started so we can decide if this is going to happen" Sephiroth urged, trying to change the subject.

"I don't know if I can concentrate with you all covered up like that. I once had considered pursuing Tifa for myself, now I'm glad I didn't. If she could reduce you to this, imagine what she would do a regular man" Rufus teased him.

"Can we just get on with the meeting?" Sephiroth said in exasperation, pinching the bridge of his nose against the headache he felt coming on.

Tifa got home and felt rather guilty about the fight she had had with Sephiroth, their relationship was so tentative and when she thought about it; his request wasn't unreasonable. She had been dressing provocatively but not to attract the attention of other men, but from him. Although they had an agreement, she hoped to change that. Their wedding night had been the most mind blowing sex she had ever had. Certainly she had never screamed in orgasm before and had hoped for another performance once his weird spell was over, but it was never offered. He was being polite as he had been during their one month's dating period, but it was like he had closed himself off from her and wouldn't tell her the reason. It stemmed from their one lone sexual encountered and Tifa wondered how bad could she had been? Okay she probably lacked the experience he did, but he sure seemed to enjoy it.

Dismissing this thought, she decided to start dinner, there was a staff to run the mansion but none of them lived on the premises and both herself and Sephiroth were good cooks and prepared meals according to who was awake/home first. She massaged butter and herbs under the skin of a good sized chicken, after stuffing it, before popping it into the oven and decided peel and chop the potatoes for later when she made Sephiroth's favourite garlic-parmesan mashed potatoes. She had just finished and had them soaking in water when the door chimes went. She washed her hands and went to see who it was.

She opened the door and looked up in shock to see who it was. "Cloud?" she asked.

"I got your message, care to explain all this?" he demanded.

"Come to the kitchen I'll make us some coffee" she said.

"No, why did you marry Sephiroth?" Cloud demanded.

"I had no choice" she said. "Come on" she said.

Sephiroth got home after a successfully completed meeting and sniffed the scent of Tifa's cooking with appreciation. For all that she was supposed to be a fake wife, she actually was growing on him and saw to his well being as she had promised. He had actually gotten used to using the word wife in no time flat. He felt kind of foolish as he fiddled with the roses he had felt compelled to buy her after their childish fight. He was about to go find her when he paused as he heard voice and felt compelled to remain in place as his sensitive hearing allowed him to learn Tifa's secret and ever fiber of his being filled with rage at what he heard. He set down the roses and strode forward before he even registered moving.

"So he was going to make me a whore. I found out about Sephiroth's ad looking for a bride and there was just enough money to pay off Don Corneo so he can't touch either of us" Tifa concluded to a extremely pissed off looking Cloud. "I did it for you as well as for myself."

"So instead you made yourself a whore to Sephiroth?" Cloud sneered.

"It's not like that, he treats me with respect. He's not like how he was" she vehemently said.

"You are married to and sleeping with our greatest enemy, you should be ashamed of yourself" he hotly said.

"She has done nothing to be ashamed of, it's you who should be ashamed of yourself for leaving her in debt to such a man and abandoning her like a miserable coward to face _your_ debt. Did you think that based on her physical appearance, that Don Corneo would allow her to work it off by doing carpentry for him?" Sephiroth inquired striding forward as calmly as possible when it was all he could do not to summon his sword and strike the head from the insulting ass.

"Sephiroth, I heard that you're a Duke now" Cloud sneered.

"It is just another meaningless title to me, I command nothing but a household of servants and own this house which you are in without my invitation and insulting my wife" Sephiroth said drawing himself to his full height and looming over Cloud.

"Sephiroth, I invited him in" Tifa objected.

"Then he should keep a civil tongue in his head while addressing the lady of the house" Sephiroth said.

"The Demon General is giving me a lecture on manners? That's rich coming from an inhuman monster like yourself" Cloud said with a rude snort.

"Cloud, that was beneath you, he is not to be blamed for his genetic makeup" Tifa said, feeling angry at how Cloud would insult her husband. She in her mind had finally managed to accept "her" Sephiroth and the "then" Sephiroth and they were completely different to her.

"I can assure you that I'm certainly human enough, far too much for my liking" he said cryptically.

"But not enough that you had to pay a woman to sleep with you" Cloud sneered.

"I paid Tifa to _marry_ me out of necessity. As for what goes on in our bed, that is our business but suffice it to say when that did occur, she was legally my wife and it wasn't forced on her" he said. "Besides you are the one who put her in my bed."

"He's telling the truth" Tifa agreed.

"She's not chained here and if she wanted to walk away, I would renounce this title and place if she wanted to be free" Sephiroth said looking directly at her and she realized for the first time that he was trying to say that he cared about her.

"Sephiroth..." she said.

"Is part of your objection that I'm with her, that I turned down _you_ many times?" Sephiroth asked him, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You like men?" Tifa said in shock.

"Does that surprise you?" Sephiroth said with a smirk.

"You know what, I wash my hands of you. Have a good life playing fake wife to the man who murdered everyone you loved" Cloud said and stormed out.

Tifa watched the only man she ever loved leave her and buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

Sephiroth didn't know what to do then reacted instinctively, remembering in his own grief how he had longed for comfort and what Angeal had told him and wrapped his arms around her and was suddenly glad he wore a shirt beneath his uniform as Tifa latched onto him and cried her heart out as he awkwardly carded his fingers through her hair.

Soon she drew away. "I'm sorry..." she said.

"There's nothing to apologize for...I certainly understand grief" he assured her. "Now go wash your face and put on bed clothes. I'll finish dinner and then we'll watch one of your cloying movies" he said and on impulse pressed a kiss to her temple.

"I'm not hungry" she said.

"Okay, so I'll eat and you'll have a drink with me" he said with his arm still around her as they walked to their adjoining bedrooms as he needed to change too, he swiftly changed into sleep pants and a t-shirt and walked out to find her waiting and dressed in a similar fashion. She sat at the table, fiddling with the stem of her wine glass, she didn't want to seem to want to be far from him in her grief as she silently sat beside him and he managed to get her to eat off of his plate.

She was still numb as he led her into the living room and turned on the fake fireplace, set out her favourite snacks to tempt her to eat, turned on the TV, put in the movie and draped a throw blanket over her lap, got beside her and put his arm around her.

To receive comfort from Sephiroth was an odd experience for Tifa but at the same time, she realized that this is what his stony exterior concealed, a noble and kind person. She welcomed his soothing arms around her and gentle petting when she sobbed until it felt like she was a boneless rag doll. She could see now why his few friends were so devoted to him as it was obvious how little he shared this side of him with anyone.

She was exhausted as he led her to the door to her room.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asked her.

"Yes, thanks for tonight. I really needed..." she said and then stopped, realizing she was probably saying too much, admitting too much and then stood on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

Sephiroth watched her enter her room and touched the place on his face in wonderment where the sensation of her soft, plump lips remained and then went into his room to ready himself for bed and was soon asleep in his bed.

Tifa however, tossed and turned in her own bed, it suddenly seeming too large and cold and then gave up and knocked timidly on the adjoining door to their rooms and blushed when a sleep tousled Sephiroth answered her knock.

Sephiroth's eyes cracked open when he heard the knock and their glow lit his path to the door that they had never opened before. Tifa stood on the other side and he could tell she was nervous.

"Could I sleep with you tonight?" she asked him in a rush of words that almost seemed to trip over each other.

He seemed to hesitate at this.

"I meant just beside you in the same bed, we don't have to..." she stammered and blushed.

"Come in" he said as he opened the door wider to admit her.


	5. Chapter 5

Tifa woke up nestled in Sephiroth's arms as he was spooned up to her, she studied him, with his face relaxed in his slumber and his long lashes kissing his cheeks, he looked much younger than his thirty four years old. It was like she was seeing him for the first time, this wasn't the sword wielding maniac who razed her village to the ground and attempted to make a puppet of the man Tifa loved. Or the cold as General she previously met when he first stepped from the helicopter into her town that she had been attracted to. This was a careful, guarded man who felt it necessary to mask his kindness and show it only to those he deemed worthy, like herself. He cared about her and she doubted he even knew it.

Gently she got up and put on her robe, surprised he didn't stir but gently tucked the blankets around him and he sighed and rolled onto his side. Her grief was still there over Cloud's dismissal of her but she felt slightly better to know that the man she married was more than just a name on a paper. She paused to find a bouquet of dead roses on a side table in the hall and smiled at what he had intended for her; there were so many facets of him to explore she thought as she sniffed one of the lolling heads and whimsically put the limp bouquet into water and went to start breakfast.

Sephiroth sat up, surprised to himself alone in bed and was equally surprised that her leaving the bed hadn't caused him to startle awake at the very least, he was a trained soldier who had known only war most of his life and normally woke ready for combat at just the the weight of someone's eyes on him. Let alone someone leaving his arms and the room itself. Was he getting too used to her?

He thought about the night before and realized that something had changed between the two of them, so many things he would never had suspected he would never do had occurred with Tifa and things were constantly shifting to make him accommodate this new chapter of his life: being someone's husband. His first kiss, that had been quickly followed by his first coitus, then his emotional reaction to that. Finally his first time comforting a heart broken female. The night before had been...odd but at the same time it felt...special, he decided as he got up to look for Tifa.

He found her cracking eggs into a bowl and she smiled in greeting, that he returned, not realizing his smile was endearingly shy. "How did you sleep?" he asked her.

"Just fine" she said giving him a hug that he blushingly returned, the night before had seemed like a dream and in the light of day he felt a little self conscious about it and he blushed further to see she had discovered the roses he had bought her and put the now dead roses in water.

"Would you like breakfast?" she asked him.

"I have time for that and then I have to pack to go meet Angeal, I didn't have time to tell you last night. Rufus agreed to our terms, we will be working together on secret covert operations" Sephiroth explained.

"But I thought you wanted nothing to do with Rufus" she said in confusion.

"I can't just sit around here watching petunias grown. I'm a man of action" he said.

"But after all that Shinra meant to you" Tifa said in confusion.

"When Aerith brought us all back, we had to make a living, so Zack, Aerith and Angeal agreed to work for Rufus and were assigned living quarters and various tasks all over Gaia. I was the only one who refused to have anything to do with them, hence how I ended up living with Dexter and having to depend on his hospitality. I wanted nothing to do with Shinra. However, now that my accounts are unfrozen and we have all of this. I now have the luxury to examine what he had to offer and I like the program he has arranged. We won't be in the limelight like before, we shall be little more than space janitors who take out the trash, rid Gaia of pests so to speak. I shall be working with my friend and second in command. I couldn't ask for a nicer arrangement" he explained.

"So you have to leave today?" Tifa asked him, feeling oddly sad to be separated from him.

"I'll be gone for three weeks, I can contact you if you want me to" he offered. "I shall have a secure PHS phone" he said.

"You'll call me every night" she insisted and was surprised when he laughed.

"You truly wish me to?" he asked her in surprise.

"I want to know that you're okay" she said with a frown.

"I-I'm touched" he said, not sure how to phase it, not used to having someone worrying about his well being.

"Don't be touched, just do it, I'm become rather fond of your prickly curmudgeon ways" she said. "Why don't you go get ready for the day while I finish breakfast?" she said as she slapped him on his rock solid rear.

"What did I tell you about groping me?" he said with a grin, feeling oddly elated that she had admitted she was fond of him.

"I can touch your ass as much as I want; I married it and it's not my fault you have such a nice one" she teased him.

She laughed as he left wiggling his hips in an exaggerated way.

He quickly showered and got into his new "uniform" which was just a fitted black shirt, plain black combat pants and army boots, trying to make both enhanced men look as discreet as possible. Sephiroth appreciated how plain it was, nothing to really draw attention to themselves. He approved of Rufus's choice as he dried and braided his hair and rejoined Tifa, after discreetly sending someone a text.

"Now that's a new look; I like it" she said, in approval. "And its washable" she said.

He checked his PHS when he got a return text. "Well you have plans for tonight, Yuffie is rounding up the girls and they are coming over for a girl's night."

"But why?" she asked him.

"After last night, you need some cheering up and I'm sorry to spring my leaving on you like this. It's the least I can do. She sent me a list of what you need, I shall forward a copy to our local grocery store and have everything delivered on time" he assured her.

"Look at you playing husband" she said but with no heat in her voice.

"I'm trying, let me know when I do something right" he said, comically rolling his eyes.

"What you said about giving up this place to free me. Was that true?" she asked him.

"I've been a slave most of my life, I would never allow myself to keep someone who wanted rid of me no matter how desperate I was. I'm fine now, I don't care about having a title or a mansion or wealth. I don't want you to be chained to me. I would pay your dowry back to the estate myself. You need only say the word" he promised her.

"What if I chose to remain?" she asked him.

"Then I shall remain with you as long as you are able tolerate me" he answered her in promise.

"It's a deal" she said and they ate breakfast in comfortable silence together and then she went to help him pack. "Three weeks, where are you going?" she asked him.

"I can't tell you that" he said as he studied her wearing jeans and a black mock turtleneck sweater. Remembering for some reason how she wore a dress that matched the dark garnet of her eyes on their first date at a fine dining restaurant. He doubted that she had worn any makeup and her only jewelry a simple gold chain without even a pendant and he had felt every man staring at them and at first he thought they were staring at him, then he realized they were staring at her. It was then he realized how attractive she was, as if sensing he was feeling a bit uncomfortable, she had suggested they leave the restaurant and they ended up at a little hole in the wall Italian restaurant that the staff seemed to know her very well at, the more relaxed atmosphere suited him better and they had had a nice time. "But I shall call you" he promised.

"You had better" she said.

His phone rang and he answered it. "The car is here to collect me" he told her.

"You're going to call me?" she demanded.

"Every night" he promised they walked onto their driveway and then he went to kiss her on the cheek in goodbye, however she had other ideas and turned it into a heated kiss right as the discreet black car pulled up their never ending driveway.

"Bye" Tifa said with an ear to ear grin on her face at how Sephiroth flustered looked as Angeal got out to greet the couple, he was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"Well I must say that I'm envious of Sephiroth that he gets such a sweet kiss goodbye. It makes me sad for my own status as a bachelor" he teased him. Their driver got out, "this gentleman shall be handling our transportation, I'm sorry I never got your name, sir" Angeal said and Tifa and Sephiroth both snickered at the figure the tan jumpsuit revealed.

"I'm Elena" she said taking off her cap to reveal her short, yet flattering hairstyle.

"You're a woman?" Angeal said with a frown.

"I'm a TURK, there isn't any kind of weapon I can't handle or form of transportation I can't navigate, can you say the same? I bet you just wield that over compensator of a sword around like all other SOLDIERS I've ever met. You all must have miniature dicks, I tell you" she said as she bristled with anger. "Oh hi Tifa" she greeted the other woman. "Sorry I can't make it tonight" she said in a friendlier tone of voice.

"Why is a TURK accompanying us on this mission?" Angeal demanded.

"Rufus needed someone who could fly a helicopter and I can" she explained.

"I didn't know you could, that's impressive" Tifa said to her friend.

"Reno taught me how, he's already on a mission so I was recruited for this one" Elena explained.

"We shall have to share a safe house with a female? That is unseemly" Angeal groused.

"I doubt you have anything on your body I haven't seen before, you brainless lump of beefcake" she shot back.

"I know this TURK, she is adequate" Sephiroth supplied.

"Why thank you, Sephiroth" Elena said in sarcastic irritation.

"What if we want to walk around naked?" Angeal said.

"Go right ahead" Elena said, "you won't find me making any objections," leering at him and stripping searched him with her eyes in a way that made him blush and get the absurd urge to cover his genitals as if she truly had x-ray vision, he still retained the old prejudice against the TURKS that SOLDIERS had had back in the day.

"Goodbye" Sephiroth said to Tifa, only to be pulled into another toe curling heated kiss.

"Bye" she said.

Angeal could only sit in the backseat with Sephiroth as with Elena's help, he placed a sizable order to be delivered to his mansion for the night he had arranged for his wife. "I never thought I would ever see you look like this" he observed when he concluded his call.

"Like what?" he asked him.

"You're practically glowing, did something else happen between yourself and Tifa?" he asked him.

"I arranged this night as a way to cheer her up. I found out the true story why she needed the dowry money," he said and explained.

"I know that Zack liked that guy, but I always found him annoying" Angeal said in outrage. "So what did you do?" he asked him.

"I cuddled her most of the evening and then we slept in each other's arms" he admitted with a blush.

"That's amazing!" Angeal said.

"Amazing how?" Sephiroth asked him, crinkling his brow in confusion.

"That are you growing emotionally enough to be able to do that for her. You're adapting really well" Angeal encouraged him.

"To be able to adapt is necessary for survival" he said dismissively. "I saw her need and felt compelled to provide it for her."

"Because that is what a husband who cares about his wife does" Angeal explained.

Tifa's girl's night had emptied half of her bar to the point that Marlene finally closed up for the night and joined the festivities as the girls danced and drank, save for a girl wearing a pink dress and a frown. Tifa had cried bitter tears over repeating the story of Cloud and then got the girls all misty eyed with how Sephiroth stepped in to comfort her.

Aerith was already in a bad mood from dealing with Zack.

Flashback

"Zack, I thought you loved me. When I brought you back, I thought we would be together" she sadly said.

"I do love you but I died so young and never really got to experience life. We will be together if you will be patient" he said giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"You mean you never got to experience other girls" she said with barely controlled rage in her voice.

"You're saving yourself for marriage and I'm not, fair is fair" he said.

"One day you shall come home and I will be gone" she said walking towards her room in the house they shared.

"One day I shall come home and marry you, but until then; don't wait up" he said as he walked out the door.

End Flashback

Yuffie hadn't been drinking very much and caught Aerith's glare at Tifa and followed her into a little used palour. "You okay?" she asked her.

"What? Am I just supposed to sit there and let Tifa spin tall tales about Sephiroth suddenly acting all soft towards her when she just married him for money?" Aerith spat at her.

"That's not the whole truth, no one really knows that and Tifa has even lost friends over it, but refuses to tell everyone the whole truth because it makes Cloud look bad. She would be selling her ass in Don Corneo's brothel if she hadn't marry Sephiroth because Cloud owes him a lot of money and used her bar and herself as security. You know Tifa isn't materialistic like that. True feelings are blossoming between the two and anyone can see that" Yuffie said.

"That's _so_ not true" Aerith insisted thinking of all those times getting to know the real Sephiroth, able to see each and everything that had been done to him and feeling first pity that made her attempt to get closer to the man, which he finally allowed. Telling her of himself and her knowing from reading in between the lines, that he longed for love, understanding and acceptance of what he was now; for someone not to judge what he had once been. She had waived in her love for Zack and for the developing love for the much more subdued Sephiroth. It was without the slightest of hesitation that she included him in their return.

Zack had disappointed her by dating other girls while Sephiroth refused to have anything to do with Shinra and had splintered off from the rest. Rufus had promptly assigned them to various tasks while still trying to woo the reluctant Sephiroth.

Aerith had been halfway around the world on the Agricultural mission Rufus had asked her to go on to help people garden in desolate conditions, when she had learned of his marriage in a local paper and couldn't believe it until she looked it up online. A call to Vincent had confirmed how it had come about. Her own invitation had been found in her mailbox upon her return.

This made her feel bitter towards Tifa, that she had captured one of the males who held her heart, but she knew Sephiroth. He was destined to be with Aerith, they had bonded over knowing how it was to be not quite human in a human world. Aerith could give him the love he wanted and bear his children who would be just as beautifully unique as he himself. There was no way he felt anything but simple friendship at best for Tifa.

"Where's Sephiroth?" Elena asked Angeal from where he was ladling spaghetti sauce onto noodles and getting garlic bread out of the oven.

"Where else? Talking to his wife. Wow I never thought I would say that" he said.

Elena grinned and accepted the bowl from the tall, brash man she had found herself drawn to in a way she hadn't for a long time since Tseng was taken off the market by Vincent...and Yuffie.

"I think it's sweet" she said.

"When I met him he could barely be persuaded to string two words together and now he's gabbing on inane topics for about an hour each night. What is the world coming to?" Angeal said as he took off his apron and sat next to Elena, noting she wore tight black jeans and an ice blue pullover, she looked really good.

"She's just asking for a recipe. She texted me about it. He's supposed to be a good cook" she explained. "Speaking of which, this is great!" she enthused.

"Who do you think taught him everything he knows?" he said quirking one eyebrow at her. "Hey Sephiroth, if you can stop prattling on like a hormonal teenager and come and eat, that would be good. Your dinner is getting cold" he called to him.

Sephiroth took the phone from his ear "I'll be there soon" he promised and went back to talking to Tifa, finding himself enjoying that he had someone who was missing him and worrying about him. It was refreshing to talk about what was going on at home while he was away and found himself oddly missing her as well and anxious to get home. He had really come to relish his daily chats wth her.

"Would you care for some wine?" he asked Elena, admiring her wholesome, almost sweet looks. It was sometimes hard to believe she was a trained assassin. It had been a long time since he had been with a woman, even before lifestream and he found himself undeniably attracted to the blonde woman. It was too bad she was a TURK.

Tifa flew to the door on Sephiroth's return and could only stand there surprised when Angeal cradled the sleeping man in his arms. "Is he okay?" she asked him with concern.

"He's just worn out, his adrenaline when he gets into battle, goes through the roof and it can take days for it to come down, so he hasn't slept that much since we've been gone. He just needs a proper night's sleep and to relax for the next few days and he'll be fine. Even we have limits and he's always been taught to press his, he can't help himself" Angeal explained. "Where can I put him?"

"Oh sorry, this way" she said, leading the way to his room.

"He's bathed and been fed, we just have to undress him and put him to bed" Angeal joked.

"Lay him down" Tifa said, drawing back the covers, between the two people, they soon got the barely conscious man into bed, foregoing night attire and Tifa tucked him in and showed Angeal out. She gazed at the man she had missed, gently stroking his bangs back from his face. He opened one eye "Tifa am I home?" he said in a groggy sounding voice.

"Yes" she said.

"Good, will you sleep with me? I missed holding you" he said, so tired he was barely conscious of the request he was making of her.

"Let me get ready for bed, I'll be right back" she assured him.

Angeal had chosen to sit in the front seat with Elena as she drove him in the direction of his home. "I hope you don't mind, sir. I have to patrol the submarine races" she said.

"Submarine races?" he asked, not even sure what a submarine was.

"Aquatic vehicles" she explained. "If you don't mind a slight detour, they can get really out of control if not monitored. It won't take long."

"Very well" he agreed but would rather go home, yet found himself curious about seeing these submarines.

His curiosity deepened when she turned into abandoned laneway beside a river, yet he didn't think the narrow channel and shallow looking river would be large enough for aquatic vehicles of any description. "I don't see anything" he said, eyeing the dark water.

"We can see them easier from the backseat" she ventured and both people moved there.

"I still don't see anything..." he said and then she soundly kissed him. He sat up a few minutes later with his hair wildly disheveled and his face seemed to practically glow in the dark when he registered that somehow his shirt had been removed and his pants undone.

"We should go, it's most improper for us to be alone together like this, I don't wish to compromise your honour. We must think of your reputation. I'm a gentleman." he objected breathing heavily.

"Think about this" Elena said, pulling down the zipper that terminated at the groin of her flight suit. Angeal groaned aloud at the sight of her softly feminine, yet toned curvy body. His eyes fogged over with lust, that matched the windows around them as he took in her unbound breasts and the glint of the blonde curls of her pubic hair in the soft light. Elena smiled at him invitation and both heads sank from view into the surprisingly spacious backseat of her transportation vehicle and the car started rocking, testing its shocks and suspension to the limits.


	6. Chapter 6

Morning came too early as it always does to kiss various points of Gaia and bring light to the people slumbering as the dark curtains of night to part to admit the rays of sunshine that highlighted our slumbering heroes and heroines.

The morning at Vincent Valentine's found Vincent spooning Tseng while a slightly snoring Yuffie was spooned onto him. All three naked were people were tucked under Vincent's crimson comforter while his programmable coffee maker started brewing to fill his townhouse with an enticing aroma that people were soon going to consume to fuel their departure into the day.

At the Crescent mansion, the sun managed to peek through the dark velvet curtains of Sephiroth's bedroom and glint off of his luxurious hair and pick the chestnut highlights of Tifa's own. He lay on his back nude, Tifa's head was cradled on his breast as if on the softest of pillows and his one arm rested on her side and the other, her shoulder, she wore sleep shirt as she was nestled against him. She had one arm flung over him and one of her long legs was draped over his. They were both covered by warm blankets and the sun decided to flee in shock as it kissed the smile of contentment on his face.

At Angeal's, a highly disheveled Elena was cradled in his arms, her normally immaculately groomed asymmetrical bob a birds nest where she was cradled in the arms of an equally disheveled Angeal. He looked like his hair had been attacked by an eggbeater and his back, some kind of jungle cat. There blankets weren't draping over them neatly like the other couples, but more like in a tangle, covering just bits and pieces of them. The sun flittered over their sexually satiated bodies and then decided to visit another household.

The sunlight settled on the pissed off looking pink clad girl who hadn't slept yet as she hadn't wanted to desert her post in waiting for the man she loved to return from his "date" while her heart leaned heavily towards the other man who dwelt there. She sat at the table in the chair where she had been keep vigil for her false love in the home they both shared. To say she wasn't happy was an understatement, her lips that were only meant for smiling, were pursued in anger and in a thin white line and her clenched fists longed to strike Zack upon his arrival home. Yet her heart longed to go to Sephiroth and finally admit her true feelings for him. He was trapped in a loveless marriage with her supposed friend, that could easily be dissolved and her take Tifa's place as his bride to secure his inheritance. Tifa could return to the love of her life, Cloud and she could give Sephiroth all the love of, not only herself, but of the planet itself and them have uniquely beautiful children that could communicate with it. It sounded like a win win situation for all concerned to Aerith.

Finally, she sent out two text messages, one to Zack to let him know that she was leaving him for Sephiroth and one to Sephiroth saying she was coming over to see him.

The Wake Up

Angeal got up and gazed fondly down at the petite blonde in his bed and felt like had been running a marathon. With his super enhanced body, that was impressive. Elena wasn't enhanced in any way but had somehow had managed to wear him out. Six times, once in her car and then five more times when they got to his place. She had been so needy that their coupling boardlined on violence that they almost broke his bed. She was like no other woman he had ever met, he had never been physically taken by a woman before and found he liked her aggressive style, she certainly took no prisoners.

He got into a t-shirt and lounge pants and padded to the kitchen to start breakfast, deciding to making her waffles, feeling generous after so many years of abstinence. He pulled out his PHS and quickly sent Sephiroth a text.

"Morning Sleeping Ugly,

I had the meeting with Rufus moved to this afternoon as I am tied up in another meeting this morning. See you then.

Geal :)"

He glanced rather guiltily at his message, wondering why he had felt the need to lie to his friend. He _had_ been tied up at one point, that was true. His lips quirked at the memory, Elena was a wild woman, he had certainly been fooled by her sweet exterior.

He mixed up the batter and got an array of fruit out of the fridge to cut up to serve with them and checked to see if there was whipped cream left, he was rather surprised there was _any_ left after last night. He mentally started a load of laundry that included his bed sheets upon her rising from his bed, or perhaps he should just burn them?

Elena got up sore but satisfied and found a folded t-shirt had been left for her at the end of the bed. She hummed as she used the washroom and put it on. Angeal was nice, he was nice she realized. She hadn't expect to end up in Angeal's bed, but he had invited her to his home after their coitus in her vehicle and took her frustrations out from Tseng on his powerful body. She hadn't ever been with someone so powerfully built before and had found it a bit weird at first. However _everything_ had proved to be proportionate on his body and she had certainly deeply appreciated _that_ as he pounded his own sexual frustrations into her, he had proven to be insatiable.

She sniffed the air, something sure smelled good she observed and went to find him making breakfast in a way that indicated he certainly knew his way around a kitchen...amongst other rooms in their tour of his place.

"Morning" she said looped her arms around his waist and giving him a hug. "You're a tiger in bed and can cook, what more can a girl ask for?" she teased him.

"Not much, I lure them with my sexual prowess and then trap them with my culinary skills. Would you like a cappuccino?" he asked her.

"Please" she said.

"If the lady will take a seat, I'll be serving Belgium waffles with strawberries, raspberries and blueberries with whipped cream, I know how you like that...and bacon" he said holding out a chair for her.

"Such service, with most of my one nightstands, I'm lucky to get a cup of coffee and a slice of toast" she remarked as he handed her the small cup, draped a napkin over her lap and leaned in for a kiss.

"Sorry, I'm not the one nightstand kind of guy" he whispered to her.

"Well I wasn't planning for long term" she said with a blush.

"I'll grow on you" he promised her as he set her food before her and sat down to eat his own.

"This is great" she said indicating to her plate with her fork.

"See? You're getting hooked on me already" he said with a smirk at her that she had to admit she found rather endearing.

Tifa woke up and leaned back to study her husband and her own plumper lips curved into a smile to match his own, on impulse she pressed hers against his own cupid's bow as if kissing him awake like he was Aurora and she, Prince Phillip and she was surprised when his lips started responding to hers but went with it. And she softly ran her hands over him so he woke gradually. He blushed when he woke up and realized he was making out with his wife. "Tifa, what are you doing?" He asked her.

"You were smiling in your sleep and I got the urge to kiss you."

"Try to keep your urges to yourself" he said but gave her a slight smile of encouragement and there was no real heat in his voice.

He frowned that when he got two text notifications in a row, he laughed at Angeal's and quickly texted back to Aerith that he could see her in the afternoon after his meeting.

"Do you have time for breakfast?" Tifa asked him.

"It seems I have nothing to do until early this afternoon" he said.

"You should rest" Tifa said.

"I've rested enough" he said as he stretched, just glad to be home and then he frowned; since when did he have a home? Then he realized he was naked. "I should get up. If you could avert your eyes?" He requested.

"You're so modest. I'll get up first" she said and slipped out of bed. "There, now you're safe from my prying eyes. Honestly, you don't have anything on your body I haven't seen before" she teased him.

"Well that's encouraging. The other men you were with had wings?" He asked her.

"Good point, can I get you a robe? I really liked the grey one on you from our wedding night" she said going to search for it and wondered at the flash of pain in his eyes when she looked back at him.

"I threw that one away. It's wasn't my style. If you could just hand me my usual one I would be grateful" he said. "What are your plans for the day?"

" I'm feeding you breakfast and then I have to go out for a little bit. I'm sorry seeing how you just got home and all, I promised Yuffie I would meet her for an early lunch and go over her plans for a joint birthday for Tseng and Vincent. You don't mind do you?" she asked him.

"Not in the least, I'll be back from our meeting by three, I'll make us a special dinner just for the two of us" he promised her.

"You're on" she said as she took his hand as they walked to the kitchen together.

Aerith packed a bag and took it to her office to stow it there, ignoring each text from Zack. She wore her most flattering outfit, it was a clinging black sweater dress, that zipped all the way up the back, black sheer pantyhose and medium heeled black PVC pumps. The dress hugged each generous curve of her and made her look more busty than she was. She wasn't Tifa in the bosom department, but she was no slouch there either. She had ensued her usual pink dresses, wanting Sephiroth to realize that she had grown up. She even wore a touch of lipstick.

Finally she made her way over to his mansion at the appointed time, knowing that Tifa was tied up with Yuffie for most of that day.

She stood in front of what was to be her new home, admiring it, imagining what changes she would make to it. Tifa had no taste. She rang the door bell.

She was actually impressed when a maid opened the door and let her in. Se was shown to his living room and requested and received a glass of wine.

"Aerith, you're just in time. I just got home" Sephiroth said by way of greeting, having changed into a pair of black pants and a dark red shirt Tifa had said she liked on him in preparation of their dinner together. He was actually a little excited at the prospect of spending some alone time with her. Perhaps there would be more kissing involved? That she had kissed him awake had felt oddly erotic and her body being that close to his own and also barely dressed had felt nice. How odd he was getting used to sleeping in the same bed as someone. Their relationship wasn't the clingy sort, but he had certainly had improved in the touching department and actually enjoyed having her in his arms.

"You look very nice" Aerith said.

"As do you, you look very dressed up. Do you have a special date with Zack tonight?" He asked her.

"I left him" she said.

"But why?" Sephiroth asked feeling concerned for his friends.

"We had an open relationship, but I couldn't handle it" she said as tears welled up in her jade eyes.

Sephiroth instinctively reached forward and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry" he said, rocking her slightly.

"But that's not the worst of it, I love someone else" she said looking up at him.

"Then he's a lucky guy" he said. "Does he know?"

"I love you" she said and began kissing him and he reacted by kissing her back, feeling confused at how he had just been thinking about wanting to kiss his wife.

Tifa got home a little after four and went to find her husband, she had gotten a new dress for their reunion night and wanted to show it to him. It was neither shockingly scandalous nor overly modest, it molded itself to her figure and was long sleeves and was knee length, but had a slit on one side that allowed a glimpse of thigh. She knew he liked her in purple and dark reds and thought he would approve of it. She checked the usual places and then headed to their informal living room where he could normally be found reading. She froze in shock to find her husband kissing Aerith.

"What the hell is going on?" Tifa demanded.

Sephiroth opened his eyes and realized who he was kissing to his horror, he had only ever been with Tifa and his body had reacted to the want to kiss her.

"Tifa...it's not what you think" he said, feeling as guilty as anything when he pushed Aerith from him.

"You whore" she cried out and ran forward and punched him, she pulled her aching hand back and realized what she had done and she could only helplessly watch while he teetered, his eyes rolled and he collapsed on the ground unconscious.

"What the fuck?" Aerith said and rushed to his side and so did Tifa.

"Why the hell are you kissing my husband?" She demanded of the girl.

"Please you don't love him, not like me. Sephiroth please wake up" she begged him, cradling his head.

Meanwhile

Sephiroth could only stare down at the child before him wondering where he was. He remembered kissing Aerith, Tifa getting mad about it...and then the lights went out. The child looked to be struggling to get some kind of school uniform on and appeared to be a female in the pleated skirt with knee socks and black shoes she wore. She seemed to be in the process of trying to button her blouse, while pulled her sweater over her head at the same time. "Help me Daddy" she pleaded.

Sephiroth's eyes went wide as his own voice said, "just put on one item of clothing at a time, Tillie" and tugged the sweater over her head. He was shocked when a little disheveled silver haired head appeared and it was all the more alarming when Tifa's eyes stared up at him, she looked to be about five or six years old.

"Thanks Daddy" she said as she smiled at him in a sweet way.

Then Tifa came in "you ready for school yet, shorty?" She asked her affectionally as she picked up a brush and smoothed out her shoulder length hair with it.

"I'm going to grow bigger than you, I might even be taller than Daddy someday" she said with a dimpled pout.

"No one is as tall as your Father" Tifa declared.

"Uncle Angeal is almost as tall as Daddy" Tillie corrected her.

"No more arguing about heights, your Daddy has an important meeting this morning to get to" she chided the young girl.

"I want to be a hero, like Daddy when I grow up" she said, looking up at him with worshipful eyes.

Sephiroth's eyes opened and he winced at the sounds of squabbling females and sat up to observe that Tifa had Aerith backed up into a corner and was giving her no quarter.

"He's taken. How dare you assume I wouldn't develop feelings for him. He's my husband in either case and you have no right to attempt to claim him" she cried at the other girl.

"What do you feel for him, lust? Perhaps you developed a bit of a crush on him? I love him, we were meant to be until you answered his wretched ad. Go and find Cloud, I will give Sephiroth real marriage with children and all" Aerith insisted.

"You want to know how I feel about him? After all of this time spent with him, after all I learned about him, I'm falling in love with him. There are you happy? He's not available for you and your insane fantasies. What is your need to share men with me anyway?" she said.

"You are?" Sephiroth said.

"I am and I would rather kill you than see you with this harlot" Tifa snapped at him. "Why are you laughing?" She demanded when he started to chuckle.

"Aerith is my friend and that is all she has ever been and will ever be to me. I was thinking how much I would like to kiss you tonight and got confused when Aerith kissed me. I was only thinking about you, you aren't going to lose me to her, you're in here" he said taking her hand and placing it on his heart, wordless showing her what his mouth longed to say.

Tifa's heart took flight, "but then you..." She said and then laughed when he suddenly picked her up and whirled her around.

"To have and to hold" he said as his mouth latched onto hers and he felt like his knees would dissolve.

"I'll let myself out" Aerith said as Sephiroth sped them from the room in a blur and then they were in his room.

He lay her on the bed and leaned over to kiss her again, while she leaned up to claw at his shirt, practically ripping the buttons from it in trying to get to him. While he pulled her dress over her head in one fell swoop and looked in appreciation at how she wore only a pair of sheer black lace panties beneath She looked delicious.

Her own hands undid his pants and he shoved the material from himself and then quickly devised himself of his underwear and did some funny hops to rid himself of his socks while staring at her. She was half reclined on the pillows and leaned back on her arms with her famous bosom jutting proudly forward, below them, her waist dipped above her somewhat narrow, but softly feminine hips that led to long well toned legs that were slightly bent at her knees. The only garment she retained were those skimpy panties and he intended to rid her of them in no time.

He got on the bed with her, there was no coercion involved this time, he longed to give himself to her, to drown in her, to take her and possess her. His world shrank down to encompass only her and the soft skin of her body as he touched her everywhere while she did some exploring of her own. He gasped as her small hand found the shaft of his cock and started stroking it, he thought he would lose his mind at the stimulation as she pumped him to steely hardness.

"Darling, let me get you ready" he said and her head melted at the term of endearment he had just called her.

"How are you going to do that?" She asked him.

"I've got this" he assured her with a smirk as he tugged her whisper thin panties from her and leaned forward to place his mouth where they had been, his dreams had taught him how to pleasure Tifa and although he never done this before, he went for it.

Tifa moaned as Sephiroth careful lapped every inch of her slit, paying close attention to her dampening entrance and slick bud of her clit, his strokes were hypnotic. He found her taste to be pleasing and it made his head swim and now he understood what Angeal had been trying to explain to him, that if you cared about someone, you cared about their pleasure more than your own. He could tell at how she was sobbing out his name in a broken staccato way, that her pleasure was about to explode and worried at the hard bud of her sex as the tip of his tongue crested on it until Tifa came undone.

Sephiroth lazily licked her through her orgasm and wiped his lips and leaned up between her parted legs and smiled when she reared up and took his lips in a possessive way, needing to touch him, wanting him more than she had anyone in her entire life. She was on fire for him.

Sephiroth expected himself to want to back away from her but his body welcomed her touches as she fed his heart with her kiss.

He altered his position so that he knelt between her legs, offering himself to her, eager to breach her this time as his emotions ran high and the love he had for her engulfed his entire heart. Her body adjusted to take the sheer size of him in, expecting him to fill her with one single thrust, but instead he gently nudged himself forward, giving her little more than a tantalizing millimeter at a time while continuing to kiss her. His countenance that used to terrify her, along with his glowing eyes, now were all endearing to her as raw emotions chased across his face as he lovingly prepared her for their coitus with a gentleness few would have suspected him of having.

Finally they lay belly on firm belly while he paused to allow her time to adjust to his girth as he stroked his hands along her arms and face, not able to stop looking at her. He remembered reading how a woman was at her most beautiful when being made love to, now he had to agreed as he looked at her animate, flushed visage, her eyes wide with wonder at how he filled her.

Sephiroth almost loathed to move at how she clenched on him and her inner muscles rippled along his length. It was with slow, powerful strokes he took dominance of her body, feeding her every inch he had to give her. They took it slow, savouring the feeling as their sighs filled the room. Tifa's legs were loosely wrapped around him with her knees hooked around his while her feet slid along his calves with their undulations. Her hands stroked along the curve his back to cup the cheeks of his rear in amorous way. Allowing him to take charge.

Their movements were languid as they shifted from position to position and her orgasms seemed to get more powerful with time as he brought her there with his fingers on her clit and careful movements of his heavy tool angled to heavily rub against her g-spot. She cried out his name at the pinnacle of her crisis and it was music to his ears.

It was finally after she was down on all fours with her bottom raised and himself draped over her back that he allowed himself enough friction to get off. He hammered into her from behind in a way that caused his head to swim at the sensation of her internal muscles milking him for all he was worth. The tightening at his groin of his impending orgasm and the stimulating sight of his wife and the smell of their coupling. It was so erotic. He cried out his own release that triggered a final one in her, that an his finger riding the crest of her slick button over and over again until she threw back her head and cried out as her juices drenched him.

"Oh Goddess, why didn't anyone ever tell me it could feel like this? I might have wanted to" he said in a sex groggy voice as he disengaged from her and pulled her against him.

"Want to what?" She asked him with a giggle, the almost god-like beautiful man now had a light pink body blush, his hair was disheveled and his normally guarded eyes were bright with emotion. She thought he had never looked so endearing.

"I might have wanted to have sex" he said in an even tone while looking at her to gauge her reaction.

"What? You can't possibly mean?" she said sitting up in shock and he just slightly nodded to her.

"I know that based on my physical appearance and what rumours were spread about me back in the day, that you probably thought you were taking a harlot to your bed. You were my first, I've never been with anyone until you. I apologize for not telling you, it was too embarrassing being a man of my age" he said unable to look at her to see her judging face in case she laughed at him.

Instead, she forced him to look at her, "it makes sense why you were so upset. Virgins need to know that they are cared about and safe and all I did was use you and I'm sorry. How could you have waited so long?" she asked him.

"When you grow up how I did, there were no pretty young girls to crush on in the lab, there was no time for furtive kisses or playing doctor. The doctors were real and so were their clinical hands as they invaded every inch of my body, nothing was off limits to them and privacy was a luxury they didn't care to give since I was very young. Often those hands reached forward to scalpels and needles that hurt me and I learned not to show them my pain. Many tests were done to me to learn my limits and then my body altered to overcome them until they deemed their work worthy. I certainly received no praise for their achievements because I wasn't considered human by them, I was an it. They took everything I was and made me this. What beauty I possesses was purely consequential and hasn't helped me. I didn't even own my own body, there was only one thing that belonged to me alone" he explained.

"And I took that from you" she said, feeling really guilty. "Sephiroth if I had known, we could have waited" she said.

"I don't regret it now. Perhaps that is the only way it could have happened? You'd probably still be waiting if that were the case. I find I enjoy what we did just now, it seemed...different.

"I do care about you" she said, feeling like her heart was swelling.

"As I care about you, my feelings for you seem to grow stronger as time goes on, I want to give you the love you deserve. Are you willing to wait?" He asked her.

"I am" she said.

They sat at their breakfast table snacking on cheese and crackers. "I'm sorry, I did promise you a special dinner" he groused.

"I think today was pretty special" she said from her position on his lap, they both wore only bathrobes and basked in the afterglow of their lovemaking.

"Yes but I had intended the cheese for an appetizer" he apologized.

"We can have that special dinner tomorrow or any time between now and the rest of our lives. For now, let's just enjoy this moment" she said feeding him a grape.

"Tifa does the name Tillie mean anything to you?" Sephiroth asked her, remembering his dream.

"That was my grandmother's name, well Matilda in full but everyone called her Tillie. She was such a character and my hero, she put up with no nonsense from anyone. I always thought if I ever had a daughter, I would call her Tillie" Tifa said. "How did you know about Tillie? I mean I told you about my grandmother, but I don't recall mentioning her actual name to you."

She frowned when Sephiroth seemed to be frozen in shock at this revelation.

Aerith

Aerith walked into her office, intending to stay there for the night after everything had backfired with Sephiroth and she couldn't go home because she had broken up with Zack. She had been walking in the rain for hours, wandering endlessly and dwelling endlessly on what she had witnessed back there. She sat down at her desk and looked at the lumpy couch and tried to imagine sleeping on it and shuddered. She had neither a sheet, blanket or cushions to even soften it. She didn't even have so much as a sleeping bag but felt too weary to even check into a hotel.

She looked down at her desk and felt like the loneliest woman in the world. How could she have known Tifa had developed real feelings for Sephiroth in so short a time period and him for her? They had looked happy and it was like getting stabbed all over again by his insane self at how it hurt her heart. She couldn't go back to being with Zack, he was so immature and Sephiroth was-married, was a truly married man with a real wife. Aerith realized how foolish she had been disregarding his marriage, in those circumstances with both having to get used to roles neither had ever been in before, but having to play their parts in public; why shouldn't it develop into a real relationship? Certainly if Aerith, herself could find something in him worth loving, Tifa could too and now Aerith was alone again. She suddenly felt like the loneliest being on the planet, like she had switched places with Sephiroth.

She buried her face in her hands and started sobbing, expecting no one to be there this time of night; she was wrong.

"Miss Faremis?" She heard someone say and looked up questioningly to see one of the TURKS who normally guarded her when she was sent on missions, Reno, she had gotten to know himself and his partner, Rude over time.

"Reno, what are you doing here this time of night?" She asked him.

"Doing deliver duty, I had to bring over the props Rufus needs for an important meeting first thing in the morning. Second in command of the TURKS and part time courier" he explained. "Are you alright?" He asked her.

"I'm fine" she said, struggling to repress her sobs. "No I'm not fine" she said as her chin started wobbling and tears streaked unchecked down her cheeks. She was surprised when the was pulled to her feet and slim, but strong arms pulled her against a firm, lean chest. She buried her face into the fine wool of his suit jacket and wrapped her own arms around his solid body and sobbed as if he heart would break as gentle hands stroked her long, wet cinnamon brown locks.

"I'm sorry, I got your suit damp" she said when she finally leaned back and he handed her his handkerchief and led her to the couch and sat her down.

"Don't worry about it. Do you want to tell me what this is all about? You'll find I'm a fine listener" he encouraged her.

Aerith was normally a private person, but his unexpected kindness broke her resolve and she found herself telling him everything. "So I have nowhere to go tonight" she concluded.

"Then come on" he said, picking up her suitcase.

"But where are we going?" She asked him.

"You're staying with me tonight. I only have a one bedroom place but I can sleep on the couch and you need to get into dry clothes" he said.

"But you barely know me" she said in confusion.

"I know you are a kind person who would do the same for me if I was the one without shelter. I can't leave a lady alone to sleep on a Shinra couch that is probably older than you. I promise to be a gentleman" he said. "Let's go" he said to her hesitation.

"Okay, I'm ready for bed" he said, coming out of the washroom where he had gotten into a pair of pajamas similar to the ones she wore.

"I don't like putting you out of your bed" she replied. Finding he looked much different not wearing his normal uniform, goggles and his hair in a low ponytail. He looked quite handsome as his crimson waves cascaded loosely down his back.

"I'll be fine" he assured her. "You sure I can't make you something to eat? I have leftover Wutaian food" he offered again.

"No, I'm not hungry" she assured him.

"Good night then Miss Faremis" he said to her.

"Please call me Aerith" she requested of him.

"Good night, Aerith" he said getting under the covers on the couch, she lay down in his bed and tried to sleep but all she could see was the kisses Sephiroth and Tifa had shared being replayed in her mind until she was shaking with tears again and trying to muffle her sobs. Reno came into his room and pulled her silently against him and held her until there were no tears left.

"You will meet someone, someone who is worthy of you and he will wait until your wedding day to make love to you, with no stupid bargains and no playing around on you. He will be a lucky man" he whispered to her.

"I don't want to sleep alone tonight" she said.

"Then move over" he said, "you're on my side of the bed."

"But I'm a virgin" she reminded him with a blush.

"Sleeping can be simply that and nothing more, you have my word you will wake up a virgin, I would never take advantage of a woman in so vulnerable a state to attempt to make a conquest of her anyway. I'm only a minor cad, not a full blown lothario" he joked as he got into bed beside her. She examined his blue-green eyes to see if he was being sincere and could tell he was.

"Come here" he said drawing her against him and he did nothing more than cuddle her until he lapsed into sleep himself, to be quickly followed by her.

Elena and Angeal

Elena stood before Angeal wearing a heavily cinched leather corset that made her already small waist look minuscule, with black stockings attached to it and thigh high heeled leather boot. He wore only a leather dog collar and looked like he was struggling not to laugh as he was down on his knees.

She toyed with the leather flogger, striking it on the floor as promised, she felt that this exploration of BDSM was turning into an epic failure. Angeal had explained that he was willing to experiment her in most types of role playing and explore whatever kinks she wanted, within reason of course. However, she wasn't to use the flogger on him, he wasn't into pain outside of minor biting and scratching during coitus. "Well slave, don't you want to taste your Mistress? You have to beg for the privilege" she snarled at him, using the handle of the flogger to indicate to her freshly shaven crotch.

"Oh please Mistress" he said struggling to keep the mirth from his voice.

"Then crawl over here like the weasel you are" she said striking the floor again.

"I'm not crawling" he said, getting to his feet and removing his collar but reacted quickly when Elena suddenly doubled over as waves of nausea hit her and she ran to the washroom, tottering in the unfamiliar heels she was wearing and doubled over the toilet.

Strong arms braced her from behind while she helplessly puked and his hand held her hair out of the way and then a glass of water was given to her to rinse her mouth out with. "Are you okay?" He asked her as he led her to the bed.

"I must be coming down with something. I probably just picked up a bug or something" she said dismissively.

"Let's get you out of that outfit, you look so uncomfortable" he said as he swiftly unlaced the back and undid the front clips in no time flat, that had taken her forever just to learn how to do up and wondered why he was so familiar with corsets. He swiftly undid her stockings and with a quick tug to each boot, they came off at the same time. He rubbed sympathetically at the lines left by her stays on her body. "No wonder you got ill, that was cinched way too tight on you" he commented.

"It's nothing" she said, feeling embarrassed.

"Would you like some chamomile tea to settle your stomach?" He asked her as he stroked her damp hair from her face.

"I would like that" she said.

"I'll be right back" he said ducking from the room.

She frowned, why did he have to be so nice? He was a gentle giant with a heart of gold when she had only wanted to use him to get over Tseng. He treated her with respect, sent her flowers, bought her presents and took her to nice restaurants while she weakly protested she was only after his body. He was kind, thoughtful and intelligent with a good sense of humour and as for in bed, he certainly was the self proclaimed tiger he was. Was she getting too attached to him perhaps?

"Here's your tea" he said upon is return.

She sipped it, it reminded her of happier times drinking it with her sister during their shared time of the months and planning their futures, who they would marry and how many children they would have. Her sister was now married and had three children and she had no one "can we go to sleep?" She asked him.

"Of course" he said getting under to covers with her and she snuggled against him, he was all bulky muscles but somehow comfortable to sleep with. "Goodnight Elena" he said kissing her chastely on the cheek and she was soon cuddled around him. He liked how she clung to him so trustingly in her sleep, yet when she was awake, she tried to keep him at bay. But he was wearing her down. It was a novelty for him to be used only sexually by a women ten years his junior and a tiny one at that. Most women in the past, he had a great relationship with and he had remained friends with most after they were over.

He didn't believe in causal dating and genuinely liked the small woman, she was intelligent and very skilled with weapons as she had stated. She was fearless but still not above talking about having to live up to her sister. He found himself caring for her, a lot in fact.


	7. Chapter 7

"So what is it Doctor?" Elena asked her doctor. Her virus hadn't gone away to the point Angeal had insisted she go see her doctor for a check up.

"It's as you suspected, you have a virus. One that will take about seven and a half months to clear up and then about eighteen more years to get out of your system, but you will never be rid of completely" she explained.

"What sort of...are you saying I'm pregnant?" Elena asked her.

"Is this good news?" He doctor asked.

"It's unexpected, we used birth control" Elena said.

"Each and every time?" Her doctor asked her.

"Well once or twice we got carried away, but we're normally so careful" Elena protested.

"Once is all you need. There are other options other than carrying it to term. Think about what you want to do" her doctor said.

Elena could only glance to the side in worry. What was she going to tell Angeal? They were only causal and suddenly she's pregnant! They didn't know each that well and now this? Would he think she tried to trap him? She had no clue what to do.

Sephiroth was enjoying his life spent with Tifa she seemed to able to sense when he needed his space and when he wanted her company, she was so bright and cheerful that sometimes he found himself smiling at her for no reason. She was a touchy feely person and thought nothing of giving him hugs or caresses in passing. Then there was their loving making, it was incredible how much he enjoyed sharing his body with her.

However, there were a few drawbacks at first in having to get used to her friends always hanging around, mainly the teenaged couple that Sephiroth had been surprised to learn, that he was technically Sephiroth's stepson due to Tifa having adopted him. So he allowed him run of the house and looked the other way when he made out with his equally hormonal girlfriend all over their mansion. He left the parenting to Tifa, being clueless about such things. It all seemed to be pretty harmless anyway, there were nice kids and always polite to Sephiroth now that they had started to warm up to him.

Then there was Yuffie, Tifa's best friend who seemed to practically take up residence with them at how often she was there with her two boyfriends. Sephiroth would normally locate himself to another part of the mansion to allow them all to visit. But somehow the males would seek him out and get into conversation with him. Oddly enough, it was the laidback and hardly talkative Vincent Valentine that persisted in this behaviour the most. Sephiroth would urge them to rejoin his wife and their girlfriend, but they would mutter something about not wanting to interrupt girl talk and start picking his brain on various subjects.

Intelligent conversation was like a drug for Sephiroth and soon he found himself enjoying their company better than most, considering he could count on five fingers people's company he actually enjoyed, that was saying a lot. Yet he was a tad uncomfortable with the intensity that Vincent regarded him, as if attempting to absorb ever word that he said. Soon it became a ritual where the women would stay in the kitchen or the informal living room and talk and the men would flee to the library with a bottle of red and white wine in tow and a surprisingly tender looks from Tifa and Yuffie as they departed.

Vincent liked to listen the most as Sephiroth talked to Tseng, they're friendship was almost as it had been pre-Jenova and he was glad of that. To watch Sephiroth sane and happy in his new life was a balm to his soul. Sometimes Tseng would leave them alone on some pretext or other or simply not accompany him so that he would have alone time with his son. All of them had decided to let Sephiroth and Vincent get to know each other before telling him that that they were father and son. Sephiroth was a known hothead after all and might take it badly if the situation was not properly handled. To find out that your own father was one of them that killed you was hard for anyone, let alone someone so physiologically delicate as Sephiroth.

It was bliss for Vincent to hear him have lucid opinions and share in their conversations, his famed intelligence obviously not diminished by Jenova. True he was socially awkward but it was like suddenly finding a gem amongst common pebbles when they managed to coax a rare smile out of him or a laugh.

He certainly wasn't one for sharing and other than what one would observe, was intensely private about his life shared with Tifa. Tifa was much more forth coming about their relationship but Yuffie refused to share that with the other two men; something about there being a friend's code. Were they sexually active? They persisted.

Yuffie just looked at them with a face like a storm cloud and said "it's none of our business."

Looking at the neutrally faced man, it was hard to imagine him doing such things as, say bending Tifa over a table, lifting up her skirt and pulling down her panties, taking down his own pants and giving it to her...

"Vincent, are you okay?" Sephiroth asked him wondering why he was looking at him so strangely and could swear he was blushing.

"I'm fine, I think I should take a walk, it's getting a little hot in here" he said.

"I could lower the heat" suggested the ever pedantic Sephiroth.

"I'll just take a quick turn about your place" he said he was walking when entered into their informal living room and frowned at what appeared to be knitting that looked to be a tiny shoe, he wondered where he had seen something similar and then his red eyes went comically wide and he rushed back to find Sephiroth and Tseng playing chess. "What is this?" He asked him, burnishing the unfinished bootie at him.

"Tifa has taken up knitting, she says it relaxes her. She's making them for Marlene's dolls, she already made a matching hat with ears on it" he said dismissively said and then his eyes went wide in shock when Vincent was suddenly hugging him.

Vincent was so elated that he was going to be a grandfather that he threw his arms around him. "Son, you're naïve as anything but I love you. You remind me of myself when I was your age. As if teenaged girls play with _dolls_ " he said.

"Son...when I was your age...what are you talking about?" Sephiroth demanding stepping back from Vincent and going into interrogation mode.

"Sephiroth, please let Vincent explain" Tseng said standing up and putting his arm around Vincent.

"Are you suggesting that you're my father? That is impossible, my father was Hojo. I know that" Sephiroth said shaking his head in denial.

"Sephiroth, you have to listen to me. I was in the lab too, I couldn't do anything to help you" Vincent said, stepping forward.

"You were in the lab with me? You left me there" Sephiroth raged, his eyes suspiciously moist.

"I'm getting Tifa" Tseng said and ran to get her.

"All these years you said nothing, you did nothing" Sephiroth all but shrieked at him, his composure shattered into a thousand pieces at having another person who was supposedly family betray him.

Tifa did what she always did when Sephiroth was in need of support and hugged him. "Sephiroth, please allow Vincent to explain" she urged him.

"You knew and didn't tell me? He helped kill me; I remember him there" he said as the memory resurfaced. He thrust her from him, never feeling so betrayed in his life.

"I had no choice" Vincent said.

"Yes madmen should always be put down" Sephiroth said with a bitter laugh. "You didn't even try to help me and now my own wife...I have to go. I don't belong here" he said feeling as if he couldn't get any air into his lungs..

"Sephiroth, calm down. We'll sit down and Vincent can explain everything" Tifa said.

"No, you kept this from me, you all did" he said and ran and took wing and flew out a window.

"Sephiroth, I love you" called as she ran after him.

"Let him go, he'll come back when he thinks things through. He's more like me than he knows" Vincent said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You have to think about what stress can do in your condition."

"What condition? I'm not pregnant. You mean my knitting? Marlene _is_ making dolls to sell at a school bazaar and I'm making hats and shoes for them, that's all" Tifa said and then burst into tears.

Sephiroth paced in agitation in an old run down place he had stashed supplies at years before. He heated beef stew over a fire. This is the life; he thought no responsibilities, no one he had to impress or keep happy. He could live here, nothing but a bed roll, some army rations and a hot spring. What else did he need? He didn't need a soft bed the seemed to adjust to him, molding to his body perfectly. He didn't need companionship, He didn't need someone preparing his meals or him preparing theirs, He didn't need someone to give him a hug when he was down, someone to cuddle against him when he got into bed feeling cold. He didn't need anyone.

Well perhaps he had gotten soft from civilian living, but he didn't need a huge house or title, why if he were to remodel this house, he and Tifa...No there wasn't any them, she wasn't someone he needed or wanted. She hadn't told him about his father when she knew how much he wanted family. He didn't know what to do, he was so torn and alone and longed only for his wife.

Aerith felt dizzy as she lay on a blanket after having a picnic on Reno's property as he lay half on top of her while they frantically kissed. It had turned out that his apartment in the city was just a place he stayed overnight when he was excepted to be at the office early or when the weather was too bad to commute. He owned a small farm on the outskirts of town. They had finished their meal and had got a little tipsy on the wine, she moaned against his lips as he stroked her nipple through her bra and blouse, drunk on the sensation and arched herself up into his scintillating touches. One of her hands groped him under his t-shirt while her other hands gripped the back of his ponytail to hold his head in place and moaned as his tongue conquered her mouth. His shaking hands undid the buttons of her blouse and peeled back the cloth from her softly sculpted torso to reveal her nipple peaks thrusting through a gold silk bra.

Impatiently, Reno leaned over and suckled her through the thin barrier, rendering it transparent to his gaze and she gasped and arched up. He continue to lap the bud and surrounding area until the entirety of her nipple was exposed and his hand slipped up her up skirt to slowly crawl up one of her long legs teasingly. He leaned back to observe her, with her hair free of the ribbon he had removed and her face flushed with arousal she looked quite unlike herself normal self. Her top was fully open and skirt pushed up almost to the tops of her thighs. His hand had made its way under her damp bra and was toying with one of her super sensitive nipples while she writhed at this. Suddenly he realized what he was doing and sat up and did up her shirt and pulled her skirt down. "Aerith, I'm sorry I got carried away because I want you" he apologized, his breath ragged.

She sat up breathing heavy, "is this what passion feels like?" She asked him.

"Yes, wait have you never experienced it?" He asked her. "I don't mean sex, I mean have you never orgasmed?" He asked her.

"No, I've never trusted anyone to do this much before" she said with a blush.

"Yet you trusted me?" He asked her.

"You're honourable, you won't take advantage of me" she said.

"I'm so glad you trust me" he said, taking her hand.

"I just wish there is was some way of, experiencing that, you know...without" she said in a wistful voice.

"There is, how much do you trust me?" He asked her.

"I trust you with my life" she said. "What are you doing?" She asked him as he pushed her back.

"I'm going to orally pleasure you if you will permit me, you will still be a virgin afterwards. I know how much you want to wait until your wedding night and wouldn't deprive you of that, but I want to do this for you" he said. "I want you to experience how an orgasm feels. At least that much I can give you. Would you like me to?" He asked her.

She blushingly nodded, so as not to startle her, he gently reached up her skirt until he was touching the bands of her panties at her sides and she blushed as she obliged him by raising her hips and he drew them down to the middle of her thighs. Not wanting to embarrass her by pushing her skirt up to expose her to the sun, he simply got beneath her skirt. They were on private property but trespassers weren't unheard of. He could smell the scent of her arousal and it intoxicated him and he leaned forward to taste it from the source. He felt instantly intoxicated, she tasted delicious, like a combination of wild strawberries and rain water and lapped her slit from top to bottom with abandonment.

For Aerith, it was weird at first and even tickled her a bit and she felt embarrassed to be in such a compromising position with someone she had only been dating so briefly, then he redouble his efforts until her broken sobs were plead to the sky. Her pupils were hugely dilated and hands fisted into the blanket as the TURK's oral ministrations caused her groin to tighten as hormones never felt before raced through her system. It was like her world had shrank only to encompass the busy tongue that worried her throbbing sex and the coils tightened in her belly, with a final lapping to her clit itself, Aerith wailed her first orgasm to sky and Gaia experienced a brief earthquake and flowers that had never been native to Gaia grew around their blanket.

Reno pulled up her panties and pulled down her skirt. "That was the best reaction I've ever gotten from a women" he said plucking one of the flowers and handing it to her.

"If that's only oral sex, what does intercourse feel like?" she shakily asked him as he helped her to her feet.

"Magical, now we should get going, it will be getting dark soon" he said as he tucked the blanket back into their picnic basket and put it on his arm and drew the small girl under his other arm to take her back to his place where they maintained separate bedrooms.

Tifa had barely left her bed since Sephiroth had left her, she was worried about him and sad he had gone. She imagined him being killed or killing himself at this newest betrayal.

She had fallen into a fitful sleep when a hand stroked her hair back and she looked up to find Sephiroth there. She cried out his name and flung her arms around him, relieved he was home.

"Tifa are you okay, who made you cry?" He demanded.

"I was so worried about you" she sobbed.

"About me, these tears are for me?" he said in surprise.

"I love you, you idiot" she said, she could tell from the dark circles under his eyes and how tired he looked that he hadn't been sleeping much himself. "I thought you left me."

"I tried to stay away but I couldn't, I felt compelled to return here. It is like I am incapable of leaving you. I missed you too much, I have never before had a home or someone to miss outside of friendship. To want to make love with you is one thing, but to simply need to be with you terrifies me. What power do you hold over me?" He asked her.

"You love me" she said in a happy voice.

"I don't know" he said blushing like anything. She just laughed and wrapped her arms around him and soundly kissed him.

"But we need to talk about this..." He protested when she let him come up for air.

"Oh no, you don't get to analyze this" she said kissing him again and adding some insistence tongue this time and he surrendered and allowed her to seduce him.

He lay back with her in his arms. "Now what?" He asked her.

"We fuck like weasels and see where this takes us" she replied.

"You certainly do have a way with words" he observed.

"I'm sorry I never told you about Vincent" she said.

"I'm sorry I reacted how I did, you all were trying to let me get to know him as a person before you told me. I understand you want to protect me, but don't keep secrets from me. I'm willing to meet with Vincent and hear his side of it before I make decisions about what sort of relationship we shall have" he said.

"That's fair" Tifa agreed.

"Enough about Vincent, I want tonight to be just about us."

"And how you love me" she gloated.

"I care about you in a way I never had anyone before, do the words really mean so much to you?" He asked her.

"No, I love you too" she said as she snuggled against him and happily hummed and played with his hair, feeling the sadness in her drain away at having his home and safe with her. She was practically glowing with happiness.

Elena smiled but sadly to find Angeal busy in her kitchen, there was a patch of flour on his cheek and he looked so endearing. "Welcome home. I hope you don't mind but I got bored, so I decided to make a lemon bundt cake with orange glaze. How did it go with the doctor? I'm sorry I couldn't have gone with you. Just give me a second to put this in the oven" he said, he was leaning over to slide it into her oven when he heard her sobbing.

He turned to find her with her face buried in her hands and went to embrace her. "What's wrong?" He asked her.

"I'm pregnant" she said between sobbed and studied him where his already large blue eyes went hugely wide. "Please say something" she almost begged him and gasped when he whooped and swung her around.

"What?" She stammered when he mashed his lips to hers.

"I've always wanted a family. The apartment I maintain only because the rent is cheap. I'm having a house built that should be ready in a couple months. There shall be plenty of room for the two of us and a nursery. I can build a home playground beside the garden when the child is older," Angeal said, kissing the top of her head.

"House, garden? You expect me to garden?" She asked him in a mystified tone of voice, wondering if he had gone insane.

"No I shall do that. I love nothing more than putting my hands into nice, rich fertile ground, we have loads of room, the property has a double wide lot" he explained. "Now are you going to wear a traditional wedding dress or does your uniform come in white" he teased her.

"Wedding dress? You want to marry me?" She stammered.

"Of course I want to marry the mother of my child. I'm sorry but I'm very old fashioned and somethings I must insist upon" he said frowning at her.

"So you want to marry me only because of the child?" She said with pain in her voice.

"No" he said, putting his hands beneath her chin. "I know we haven't been together that long but I'm crazy about you. You make me do things so far out of my comfort zone it isn't even funny but I like it because it means I get to be with you. I'm not the one nightstand sort of guy or an adventurous lover to be quite frank. I'm actually a homebody who loves staying in and having quiet nights. What I'm offering is to be your husband if you will have me. Marry me Elena" he said.

"Does it have to be a big wedding?" She asked him.

"We can make as small as you want" he assured her. "I will ask your father for your hand in marriage" he promised.

"Couldn't we just elope" she suggested in a nervous voice.

"Are you worried he's going to be mad about the baby? Don't worry I'll wear him down with my charm just as I did you" he said. "So what do you say?"

"Yes" she said and kissed him and wondered if she really truly was ever in love with Tseng as Angeal's kiss made her heart skip a beat and suddenly welcomed everything he was offering her. In actual fact, she was an old fashioned girl too and a homebody just like him.

Reno felt like his mind would explode as he suckled the sweet hard pink berries of Aerith's nipples while she sat on his lap, her pajama top was parted to either side of her gravity defying breasts as he feasted on her succulent flesh. He tried to keep their flirtations with sex to a minimum out of his respect for her but longed to have her in a carnal way, which was hard when you already knew how she tasted and how hard she came. Aerith although still innocent, was a passionate woman and responded to his tongue and fingers by cumming like a runaway train. Yet he felt like he was corrupting her. Although she had told him she had come from the slums too, it was like the filth that seemed to have seeped into his soul, had left her untouched. She was just as beautiful and bright as one of her flowers. Yet he had been marked by his time spent there. He had worked hard to get himself out of that situation, he was no longer the poor boy he had been. Yet he wasn't good enough for Aerith and had no right to touch her innocent flesh like this.

He had suggested she go to Rufus about being assigned new lodgings, but she always came home to his place and got into bed beside him or else he drove her to his actual place and they slept apart. He had vowed that he would not take from her what wasn't his to take, he had promised her and tried to be a gentlemen. It was her that initiated their encounters most of the time until her undergarments were removed and he worked her private parts until she shouted her release to the heavens themselves as he greedily swallowed her flow. He felt drunk afterwards just from the taste of her essence.

Yet there was more to it, she was so noble a person that she made him long to be a better man. People would see him with her on the weekends as they grocery shopped together and smile at how his petite companion clung so trustingly to his arm. She was so gracious to everyone, waiters, grocery clerks even his fellow TURKS. Rude teased him he had it bad for her.

Finally he resolved that he had to end it, he could no longer take advantage of an innocent girl this way, he had come to care about her too much and he wasn't good enough to offer her what she needed. "Aerith, we have to stop. You need to find another place to live before I ruin you" he said firmly buttoning up her pajama top.

"But I thought you liked it" she said as he set her onto floor.

"I enjoy it too much but I cannot take what you promised your future husband, we are flirting with danger and I made a promise to you" he said.

"Then marry me" she softly said.

"But why would you want to marry me?" He said in shock. "I'm a slob."

"Because you're noble and you're funny and you make me laugh. Not to mention handsome. You took me into your place when I had nowhere to go. You're kind and caring and you treat me as a person, not a porcelain doll as people have my entire life. You weren't afraid to offer to give me sexual pleasure but I wouldn't have allowed to you if I wasn't in love with you" she said, looking at him with nervous large green eyes. "Do you love me even a little?" She shyly asked him.

He answered by kissing her "we had better get married very soon" he said in an urgent tone of voice.

The bride and groom stood before everyone they knew, surrounded by AVALANCHE and TURKS.

She was resplendent in demure white dress that was a traditional ballgown style, complete with impractical train that had to be bustled and a long veil with a blusher her groom had to raise in order for his kiss to claim her as his bride. She had two bridesmaids, both who wore pink and she carried a pink and white rose bouquet, while theirs was only pink.

Her cinnamon brown hair had been gathered into a complex updo on the crown of her head and her green eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked up at her groom as her pink lips seemed to be frozen in a smile. She laughed has he tried to put the ring on her right hand and answered "I do" twice in his nervousness.

Everyone else tittered when they found out that Reno was just his TURK name and Farley was his real name.

The tall lanky man looked well put together for once, his normally spiky hair had been slicked back into his normal ponytail, making his angular handsome features look more regal and less comical. No one had ever seen him looked so handsome as he couldn't take his eyes off his beautiful bride. Everyone applauded as they kissed.

It was a very nice wedding for what everyone thought to be a rather rushed affair.

Vincent sat with Tseng at a prominent table with Angeal and his wife. Elena was four months pregnant and wore a floral print maternity dress. His son and his wife joined them after the wedding as Tifa had been a bridesmaid and Sephiroth had given Aerith away, Yuffie took a seat between Vincent and Tseng as she had been the second bridesmaid. "So with the haste they got married. Do you think she's pregnant?" Angeal whispered to his wife.

"No" everyone at the table objected.

"Aerith is saving herself for marriage and Reno appears to be the one she was waiting for" Tifa explained.

"You mean all this time she was a..." Angeal said with shock.

"Yes" Tifa said.

"Even with Zack she never..." Angeal said.

"Yes even I knew of this" Sephiroth said.

"Looks like that will be taken care of tonight" Vincent observed.

"It's a nice wedding, considering how fast they put it together" Tseng said.

"I guess they didn't want to wait any longer" Elena observed.

"I preferred our wedding" Angeal said taking her hand.

"It was certainly memorable. It's not every day that the bride's sister has the gun trained on the groom or when a SOLDIER First Class has a black eye given to him by the bride's small scientist father" Sephiroth bugged him.

"My dad isn't a big guy but he was the head of his boxing team" Elena explained to amused looking people.

"So when are two starting a family?" Angeal asked Sephiroth and Tifa.

"We're only a couple of weeks along" Tifa interrupted Sephiroth.

"You mean we?" He asked her and she just nodded and everyone congratulated the couple.

A happy father to be was driving his wife home when it was like the entire world moved and the stars in the heavens started to dance as if they were part of a light show. "What the hell?" Tifa said as Sephiroth pulled the car over, as cool as a cucumber.

He laughed and pulled her into his arms to soothe his startled spouse. "Aerith can communicate with Lifestream and all aspects of the world; it seems that Aerith just had her wedding night and it is rejoicing with her" he explained and they just watched as the whole world seemed to dance beneath them and above.

"Gee I thought I came with a bang on our wedding night" Tifa said and she was rewarded with her husband's laughter and kiss.

Well that's all for now folk, hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to leave reviews on your the way out the door.


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